Moments that could last forever
by devotedtodreams
Summary: Pre-massacre. After leaving their parents arguing with each other, the Uchiha brothers have a peaceful afternoon together. Even if Itachi is distracted by some unwanted thoughts... ItaSasu. Dedicated to SkywardShadow. Will become AU later on.
1. A promise and a new game

_(sigh)_ I know I should post another prompt for my 100 oneshots challenge, but I wanna write at least one more before I do that, and I need to find a moment in which I can relax properly without being too tired so I can get that done! (However, I do promise to update this week; I'm sure I can manage that.) That's the only thing I don't like about work...

Anyway, this oneshot is dedicated to a good friend of mine, **SkywardShadow**! I do hope you'll like it, because you truly deserve something good for being so supportive and purely awesome! _(hugs)_

* * *

"I still think you should come along, Itachi."

"But otosan, I really don't mind looking after Sasuke."

"Dear, you heard him. It's not fair that you constantly swamp him with work and training – after all, he should spend some time with Sasuke as well," Mikoto told her husband.

"Itachi is a prodigy, and prodigies need that kind of education and raising."

"But that doesn't give you the right to neglect your other son!"

"And it's not your right to tell me what to do!" Fugaku yelled back at her.

"I just want the best for our boys!"

"You think **I** don't?! That's why I'm doing this for Itachi!"

"Itachi, Itachi, Itachi! It's always just Itachi! Do you even know what your other son is **called**?!"

While the grown-ups yelled at each other, Itachi casually fetched a bit of scrap paper and wrote a short note in his neat handwriting. He deposited it on the table, then left the room in his usual calm pace.

In the living room, Sasuke was standing completely in the open, looking bewildered and anxious, undoubtedly because he heard his parents shouting so much. Itachi couldn't help but think that Sasuke looked incredibly cute as he gazed into those inquisitive puppy eyes.

"Aniki, why are haha and chichi so loud?" he whined.

"No need to worry, otouto, they're just exchanging opinions. Come, let's go outside."

Seeing his brother being so calm about the yelling in the background made Sasuke smile again, and he gladly took the hand Itachi had extended. Leaving their parents behind, the two brothers left the house.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Nii-san, can I have something sweet? Pleeeeeeeease?" Sasuke begged, tugging at his brother's hand.

"Sasuke, don't you remember how angry haha got when I last fed you something sweet?" Itachi asked instead.

The younger Uchiha contemplated this for a moment, but after deciding that no, he didn't remember that, he grinned deviously and pointed. "But those dango over there look so **good**!"

Dreading what he would see, Itachi looked in the appropriate direction; and sure enough, Sasuke had spotted a store where one could purchase dango. And if there was one thing Itachi was known for besides being a prodigy, it was the fact that he downright **loved** dango. It was only with great reluctance that their parents bought any more at all, for when it came down to the last one and both brothers were present in the kitchen, all hell tended to break loose.

"You pointed that out on purpose, didn't you?" he asked the youngster with a sigh.

Sasuke giggled. "Maaaaybe," he replied. In other words: yes, he had.

'_Must say no… bad idea…!'_ "Alright, I'll get you a few." _'Darn!'_

"Yay!" Sasuke cheered and quickly proceeded to drag his brother to the store, where he was all over the treats like a honeybee over new blossoms. Trying to look bored, but in reality straining not to behave like that himself, Itachi followed him, mentally counting up the money as Sasuke carelessly picked out which ones he wanted. Luckily, what little money Itachi had brought along as a precautionary measure was sufficient, and a few minutes later found the two brothers walking down the street again, Itachi clutching a plastic bag in one hand and Sasuke's hand in the other. The small boy kept peering around his brother's legs, longingly eying the plastic bag.

Of course, Itachi didn't fail to notice that.

"You'll have to wait a bit longer, Sasuke, okay? As soon as we've –"

"Ah, greetings, Itachi-san!"

"Good day to you too, Kichirou-san. As I was saying, you'll get one once we've –"

"Itachi! Itachi! Hey, wanna hang out at the river? We could even go for a swim; the weather's perfect!" none other than Shisui Uchiha asked, running up to them.

Sasuke pouted a bit. His brother was always getting interrupted… **why** did he have to be so popular? Was that what it meant to be a prodigy? Narrowing his eyes, he looked up at Shisui as if to say: «Can't you see that he's with **me** now?! Go find someone else!» At the same time, he tried to ignore a feeling of disappointment that rose up within him; Itachi was very close to Shisui, and Sasuke dreaded getting rejected again because of that. It wouldn't be the first time.

Itachi felt how a small hand grasped his own more tightly, and he stole a glance at the youngster beside him. A smile spread across his face when he noticed that defiant look, and he could clearly imagine what Sasuke was thinking.

"Sorry, Shisui, but I'm taking Sasuke somewhere. It got too loud at home. Some other time, maybe."

His best friend blinked, then smiled at them so genuinely that for a split second, Sasuke felt guilty for believing that everyone else was just selfish and trying to separate him and Itachi whenever they could.

"Oh, I see. Well then, have fun, you two!"

Itachi raised his hand in a salute before he devoted all his attention to Sasuke again. He could tell that the little one had almost interrupted his peer, jealous about the distraction. He also knew that he was his sibling's undisputed idol; their father had never carried that role. All Sasuke ever talked about was being like Itachi someday, and so he hung around the elder as often as possible in order not to miss a thing.

"Nii-san, you know so many people…"

"You're jealous, little brother, aren't you?"

"Sort of. I'll never be as popular as you."

Itachi briefly released his hand to ruffle the black hair. "Nonsense, Sasuke. You're popular too – or at least, you'll be popular someday too. Who could possibly resist you?"

Now looking very pleased at that comment, Sasuke beamed at his brother. Itachi found that those little cheeks looked rather pink, and if he wasn't badly deceived, his own face felt somewhat warmer than usual.

Shortly thereafter, they had left the crowds behind them and reached a playground close by the border of the village. By sheer coincidence, it was empty.

"Aniki, will you push me?" Sasuke asked, apparently having temporarily forgotten about the snacks as he ran off to the swings and claimed one as his own.

"Of course, otouto. Hold on tight," Itachi smiled, putting down the plastic bag and moving behind the swing. He grabbed his brother around the middle and pulled the boy closer to him, enjoying that feeling for a second. Then he gave a hearty push, and Sasuke flew forward with a delighted squeal. When he swung back, Itachi raised his hands in time to lay them on Sasuke's back and pushed him again, making him fly even higher and laugh louder.

"Is that enough, Sasuke?"

"One more push, please, nii-san! And maybe you could join in too! It's lots of fun!" Sasuke answered. A few seconds later, he felt the other's hands on his back again as another push was given. "Wheeeeeeeee!" he squealed once again as he went skywards again. Then he continued to swing by himself, like Itachi had taught him to. It wasn't long before the latter was swinging just as high too, perhaps even a bit higher.

Itachi was relieved that their father wasn't there to see them; he would have highly disapproved of his older son pursuing such an activity. Now that he thought about it, it had indeed been a long while since he had done something recreational; he had even forgotten what it was like to swing since the last (and only) time he had been on them was as a very, very little boy. And now that he was experiencing it all over again, but this time with his treasured younger brother, he felt just wonderful.

Sasuke was all smiles and laughed every now and then, having the time of his life. He was happy to see that his sibling seemed to be enjoying himself as well. He tried to adjust his swinging until they were synchronic, then he held out one of his hands. Smiling his distinctively small smile, Itachi took it, and while maintaining that contact, they waited until the force of their swings had come to an end.

"I think you've waited long enough now; would you still like to have something sweet, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, digging his heels into the ground to end the swinging for good.

"Oh yes, I had almost forgotten!" Sasuke exclaimed and jumped off his swing. Like a little ball, he bounced excitedly around Itachi, who rooted around in the plastic bag. He could almost picture Sasuke drooling as he removed a dango from the bag's contents, and after sitting down tailor fashion in the grass, he hoisted Sasuke onto his lap and gave him the treat. As he watched how the stick was eagerly shoved into the small mouth and soft sucking noises could be heard, he thought back on the time when Sasuke had been a really small infant and he had held the little bundle in his arms, hearing similar noises when the younger Uchiha had sucked on either his pacifier or his thumb. He had loved those moments very much…

"Aniki, do you want one too?" a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts, and Itachi found a dango taking up his entire field of vision.

"Otouto, I bought them for **you**…" he began, though he was awfully tempted to accept the offer immediately.

"But you're looking at it so longingly!" Sasuke protested.

'_Actually, I was looking at __**you**__,'_ Itachi thought, and he shook his head again a bit.

Sasuke activated his puppy-eyes and begged: "C'mon, Itachi…! You always give me so much, I'd like to give you something back!"

"**I** always give you so much? I believe you're exaggerating: haha is the one who buys your presents and such."

"But you give me things too! And I enjoy all the time we spend together! You're the best big brother in the world, and I want to be the same for you!" Sasuke said.

Very pleased by that statement, Itachi hugged Sasuke tightly yet tenderly and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "You already **are** the best little brother I could ever wish for. I have loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you, Sasuke. Words cannot describe how much you mean to me – remember that."

"I love you too, nii-san," Sasuke murmured happily and nuzzled Itachi's neck.

For a moment, they were silent, but then Itachi spoke hesitantly: "…Sasuke, I wonder if you could promise me something."

"What, Itachi?" the boy asked curiously.

"…Please promise me that even if I ever would hurt you, you will remember my love. My love for you. Can you promise me that?"

"Hurt me?" Sasuke repeated innocently, clearly not able to imagine that that would ever happen. "Why would you hurt me?"

"Sasuke, please just answer my question," Itachi repeated seriously.

"…I promise, aniki."

"Thank you," Itachi whispered, then he leaned down and kissed Sasuke on the lips. Even though the touch was short, he could still clearly taste the sweetness of the dango. And those smaller lips were so soft, so pleasant to touch… dammit, he was already craving it again as soon as he drew back…! In addition, a dark thought in the most shadowed depths of his mind sent a tidal wave of guilt rushing through him when he saw the now clearly evident blush on Sasuke's face and the way the boy looked at him so fondly, so full of adornment and innocence…

"Itachi?" the little one asked timidly.

"What, Sasuke?"

"You don't look so happy; did I say something wrong?"

"No, I just was lost in thoughts for a moment. You don't need to worry about me."

"Yeah, I do! You worry about me too, after all!"

Itachi hugged him tightly again, fortunately preventing him from seeing the most certainly visible pang of sadness and worry that appeared on his face. It didn't stay there for very long, however, for he knew how much Fugaku hated to see him openly show emotions like that. When he relaxed once more, he felt Sasuke's hands playing with his ponytail.

"Nii-san, your hair is coming loose… may I tie it together again for you?" Sasuke asked eagerly, fitfully freeing himself from the embrace.

"You may," Itachi told him with a small smile, putting the boy down again and turning around so his back was facing him. Before his hairdo underwent its treatment, however, a hand reached over his shoulder and once more shoved a dango into his face.

"Enjoy, aniki! I know you like them as much as I do!" Sasuke chirped cheerfully.

"Thank you very much, otouto," Itachi said softly and accepted the offering. As he put it into his mouth and hummed contently when the sweetness tickled his taste senses, Sasuke got to work and untied the loose ribbon from the elder's dark hair. Mostly just listening to the delighted noises his brother was making, though occasionally also singing a random tune under his breath, he ran his fingers through the long, silky hair, neatly arranging the strands again. Once everything was okay again, he stuck out his tongue a little bit as he concentrated hard on tying the ribbon properly – of course always taking care not to hurt Itachi.

The elder had almost finished his treat when he felt a nose nuzzling his neck, then a kiss was breathed right on that same spot. Itachi paused, his tongue still glued to the dango.

"Your hair is so soft, nii-san… I wish you'd let me handle it more often," he heard Sasuke whisper with more longing than one would have guessed to hear in the voice of a six-year-old.

"Why didn't you ask me, then?" Itachi asked, carefully shifting until he was cheek-to-cheek with his brother.

"Because you're not around so often," Sasuke answered sadly. "Whenever I want to spend some time with you, chichi finds something for you to do, and then you're gone again."

Itachi lightly kissed the corner of Sasuke's mouth. "I know, otouto. I wish I wouldn't have to let you down so often, but chichi just won't listen to me when I ask to stay with you every now and then."

"I'm sorry I'm not a prodigy like you," Sasuke mumbled. From his current location, all he could see were his brother's dark eyes, which instead of being rather void as Fugaku wanted them to be, were filled to the brim with ruefulness and undisputable love for his sibling. A slender hand caressed his cheek in a soothing manner.

"Sasuke, that's just about the last thing in the world that you should apologize for; after all, it is not our decision to make whether we are prodigies or not. Do you think I have never wished that I weren't one?"

The younger Uchiha shrugged uncertainly.

"I have. I have wished for that so chichi wouldn't be so hard on you. Now, don't go saying this to him, but: he is a bit narrow-minded in his priorities. I once heard him tell haha that for him, only the best is good enough. But even if you're not one of his best in his book, always remember that you **are** the best in haha's book – as in mine as well."

"The best?" Sasuke repeated with a small smile. Obviously, he liked the sound of that.

"The best. For many reasons," Itachi confirmed in a whisper.

"I'm glad, nii-san. As long as I'm with you like this, the whole world could be against me… and I wouldn't mind so much."

"Moments like this could last forever, hmm?"

"Why shouldn't they?"

"Because nothing does. Nothing lasts forever," Itachi answered, staring into the distance as the dark thought from before returned to spread more of its poison which made him feel guilty.

"But haha said that love does last forever," Sasuke argued, hugging Itachi from behind.

When another one of their moments of intense closeness occurred, Itachi swore that he heard an evil cackle in his head, a voice that wasn't his. He hated it, and he closed his eyes tightly as he tried to blot it out. How dare it taint a moment like this! And yet: trying was one thing – succeeding another.

"Aniki?" Sasuke asked worriedly when the elder shuddered.

"Nothing…" Itachi murmured.

The soft pressure around his middle went away when he was released from the embrace, and the next thing he knew, a black shirt replaced the view of the swaying blades of grass that had caught his attention seconds ago. Looking up, he came face-to-face with a clearly concerned Sasuke.

"Otouto?"

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Do?"

"You know, to help you. You've started to act kinda weird, so I'm wondering if I can help in some way."

Without letting his expression change in the slightest, Itachi raised his eyebrows – but so minimally that one could have easily missed it by merely blinking.

'_He shouldn't have noticed… Maybe chichi is right, and I need to work on my self-control a bit more. I mustn't tell him… the reason… that's so risky!'_ he thought, silently reprimanding himself for having let this situation come to be. But he also knew that what he was feeling now was only half of what it would be like all too soon (for him).

"It's alright; I'm just preparing myself for joining the ANBU. After all, that is a big step with which comes great responsibility, and I must live up to that. However, if you still want to help me –" (Sasuke nodded eagerly) "– all I ask of you is to live for the moment and enjoy your childhood while it lasts."

Sasuke frowned. "What kind of favor is **that**? I was thinking more along the lines of distracting you or something."

Itachi smirked. "What's on your mind?"

"Well… I was thinking that we could play a game." Upon receiving an all too familiar look for that suggestion, Sasuke already initiated protest: "Come on, nii-san! You never have time to train with me, so at least play with me! Just this once! Pleeeeeeeease!"

As he watched his little brother beg for his agreement, Itachi couldn't resist smiling. He doubted that he would have managed to prevent that even if he had tried his hardest. Making up his mind, he beckoned Sasuke to be quiet as he stood up.

"It should be illegal for you to beg like that," he remarked with a shake of his head, though the smile never left his face. "Alright, let's play a game. But this is exceptional, and you mustn't tell chichi unless you want both of us to get into trouble."

"I'll never tell! Thank you, Itachi! Thank you so much!" Sasuke cheered and practically glomped his sibling. This impetuous reaction raised a blush from said sibling.

"So… what do you want to play?"

Sasuke froze, and after thinking hard for a moment, he replied in a bashful mutter: "Um… to be honest, I didn't think that far. I didn't think you would actually agree to play."

"Foolish little brother…" Itachi chuckled. "Since you haven't given it any thought yet, would you mind if I'd do so?"

"Not at all! I'll play anything!"

"Good. Let's play «take the long way home»."

Now it was Sasuke who raised his eyebrows. Itachi continued:

"It's quite simple: you just have to do whatever it takes to make the way home as long as possible. «Lost» time may be considered «good» time."

"What are the rules?"

"The rules…" Itachi thought for a moment while staring at Sasuke – and when he remembered a feeling he had thoroughly enjoyed earlier on, it hit him. Lowering his voice a bit even though nobody else was there to hear him, he said: "A kiss obligates you to stop. You mustn't take another step until the kiss is over."

So that meant that if he kissed his brother, they would have to stop, and the more they would kiss, the longer it would take them to get home, ergo the more they could be together! What a great game! When this thought entered his mind, Sasuke's face lit up like a dazzling Christmas tree.

"Got it! Sounds like fun!"

"Fun indeed… Let's go, otouto."

Hand in hand, they slowly began to walk back home. Barely ten steps later, Itachi bent down and softly kissed Sasuke's cheek. Remembering the rules, the boy stopped instantly – and no sooner had Itachi begun to draw back when he was forced to stop as well as Sasuke kissed the corner of his mouth. Itachi hummed contently and shifted until he could relish in the taste of his sibling's lips again.

This would be a very, very long way home…

* * *

...Well? Liked it? Hated it? That's the thing with dedications; I'm always a hell of a lot more nervous about posting these than just general things.

Please let me know what you think! It would be very helpful so I can determine if I could consider dedicating more things in the future or if I should stick to the "general" mode.

Signing off now because it's very late and sleep is needed,

_devotedtodreams_

(P.S: A million thanks to everyone who reviewed! That never fails to make my day!) :)


	2. Defiance

Hi everyone! Hope you have had/are having a good Halloween... I kinda miss dressing up and trick-or-treating, but sadly, that holiday isn't too big here... (sigh) But this year, it really doesn't matter because I'm tired after working late. Maybe my parents will give me some sweets anyway if I ask nicely ;)

I've taken the specific advice of **ShatteredDiamonds **and **Bubba** to turn this into a multi-chapter fic! I hope you'll like it! This is dedicated to all my wonderful friends on this site (e.g. **SkywardShadow** and **Art is a bang XD**) and the general great support of other people! (apply this to all chapters, however many there will be... subject to modification, see note below)

An important song that inspired me as I wrote this (couldn't capture my "dreams" quite as I wanted to, but I still hope it's good):  
"I'm Alive" by Disturbed. Great lyrics, BTW.

* * *

"Itachi had better have an excuse for this!"

"Well, we did go overboard a bit with our argument, and I understand that he wanted to keep Sasuke away…"

"Wasting important time in which he could train…!"

"The poor little dear… surely he didn't understand what was happening…"

"Looks like I might have to tighten the reins again."

As her husband left the kitchen, where he had been sipping a cup of tea, Mikoto shot a glare at his back. She was fed up with the way everything just seemed to revolve around Itachi: she loved both her sons equally, but she didn't want to see one of them being preferred over the other. And she knew of Sasuke's insecurity because Fugaku didn't deem him to be worth nearly as much as Itachi. There were days that that made her want to beat him black and blue.

The sound of the front door closing could be heard, and Mikoto sighed. The boys would be in for an unpleasant homecoming; their father had been in a foul mood for three days straight now.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Sasuke, that's enough… we must stop now…"

"But aniki, I'm having so much fun! I don't want this to end, ever!" Sasuke whined, trying to pull Itachi down and then kiss him again. It would mean one more stop and a few more moments he could spend alone with his brother.

It was hard for Itachi to do so, but he resisted the begging puppy-eyes and stood up. "We're almost home, Sasuke."

"What does that have to do with it? We're just playing a game…"

"Yes, but this is **our** game. Others… wouldn't understand it. Not even our parents, I believe."

"I could explain it to them," Sasuke offered, raising his hand as if he were in school (which he would be soon).

A sad smile flitted across Itachi's face. "No, otouto. They wouldn't understand. We just mustn't let them know about the game, and everything will be fine."

The serious tone of the elder's voice clearly implied that playtime was over, and Sasuke averted his gaze as they approached the gates to the Uchiha district in silence. After a few steps, he looked up at Itachi, squinting a bit in the last sunlight of the day. He was smiling.

"Thank you for playing a game with me, Itachi. I really enjoyed it."

"I shouldn't get started on how much **I** liked it," the older Uchiha replied.

"Why? Is it that hard to explain?"

"That pretty much sums it up. I'd have to show you, but now is neither the time nor the place."

"But you **did** like it?"

"Immensely."

Sasuke wanted to reply, but an angry yell shattered the tranquility:

"Itachi! There you are! It's about time!"

Startled by the sudden interruption, they whirled around to face the gates – and when they saw Fugaku standing there with sparks flying from his Sharingan-red eyes, Sasuke instinctively inched closer to Itachi.

"Nii-san… chichi is mad…" Sasuke had seen his father mad before, but this was not the same: the man looked so infuriated that for the first time, Sasuke was actually afraid to go home. He wanted to run away with Itachi… hide… **anything** but go back there.

"Itachi!"

"I'm coming already!" Itachi yelled back, sounding slightly annoyed. In the fraction of a second, that vanished as he put his arm around Sasuke's trembling shoulders. "Easy now, otouto. Everything will be alright…"

"No; look at him, he looks as if he's gonna kill us…"

"Don't exaggerate. Just come with me."

"I don't want to."

"Sasuke –"

"God dammit, you're really testing my patience!"

"Some help **you** are," Itachi scoffed under his breath. "Please, Sasuke! The longer we hesitate, the worse it will get!"

"But it will be bad, right?"

"You don't need to worry about a thing. I'm here for you. I will protect you if it would become necessary."

"I hope it won't," Sasuke muttered, though he didn't dare leave Itachi's side as they finally got around to approaching the gates. Fugaku looked as if he were about to go ballistic.

"What were you thinking, running off like that?! I don't suppose you did something constructive with your time and trained, for instance?" Fugaku nagged as he shepherded his sons to their house.

"No, otosan. But since you were obviously engaged otherwise, I figured that no harm would be done by leaving," Itachi answered calmly.

"You're slacking off, and you know I do not tolerate that. By doing so, you neglect your duties, which inevitably disgraces the clan."

Itachi rolled his eyes.

"And I already can imagine wherein the reason for that lies."

Itachi tensed up and gripped Sasuke's hand a bit tighter. "Can you now, otosan?"

"I'm not blind. Sasuke, start growing up already! By clinging to Itachi like that, you're just being a ball and chain!"

Fugaku reached out to make Sasuke let go, but in a flash, Itachi smacked his father's groping hand aside. Mr. Sunshine's shock only lasted a second or two before he became absolutely livid.

"How **dare** you?!" he bellowed.

"I will not allow you to touch him when you're in such a foul mood." _'In fact, I don't want you touching him again… __**ever**__,'_ Itachi added in his thoughts as his eyes turned red with the clan's kekkei genkai.

"I'll teach you for telling me what to do!"

"Try!" Itachi hissed.

"Boys, what is– **Dear**!" Mikoto exclaimed as she entered the scene. It looked like one of her nightmares: Sasuke hiding behind Itachi, who was facing their father, who in turn looked every inch as if he were about to literally lay his hands on them.

"Okasan!" Sasuke practically squeaked (which didn't sit well with their father, who repeatedly declared that Uchihas did not squeak or make similarly silly noises).

"What is going on? Fugaku, you had better not be about to do what I think you want to do!" Mikoto rarely raised her voice, but when she did, she could easily compete with Fugaku's ferocity – at least for a while.

"These reins have got to be tightened a goddamn lot more!"

"Enough! Even being a father doesn't give you the right to deny your sons some time together!"

"I shall not be the one whose sons bring disgrace upon the clan!" Fugaku made a swiping gesture which strongly underlined his words. He was about to lose it.

"You're an utter fool," Itachi said coldly.

His mother and Sasuke gasped at this. The silence that fell was one of the most unpleasant sort, like the last few seconds in which a ticking sound could be heard before the bomb went off. Fugaku's eyes bulged, which only added to his newly acquired appearance of a madman.

"That does it," he finally spoke in a low and menacing tone of voice. "I think it is time to teach you a lesson. Nobody speaks to me like that; **nobody**!"

Itachi returned the piercing stare levelly and said in a surprisingly calm voice: "Okasan, take Sasuke."

"But nii-san –!" the youngster protested, afraid for his brother. He was afraid because he didn't know what lengths their father would go to. How could he, though, if he had never seen the man like this before?

"I'll be fine, Sasuke. Go with haha."

"He won't hurt you, will he?" Sasuke whispered.

Itachi didn't move at all for a moment before answering: "Just go, otouto. Please."

Not comforted in the least, Sasuke turned around. "Okasan…!"

"Dear, I know you're stressed out, but must it come down to this?"

"He's asking for it," Fugaku told her through clenched teeth.

"Perhaps it is fortunate, okasan," Itachi agreed.

Sasuke looked back and forth in disbelief, but wisely didn't say anything. Sadness etched itself into Mikoto's gentle features, sadness due to how things had progressed. Neither Fugaku nor Itachi were "easy" people – Fugaku more so than Itachi – but so far, the household had always been peaceful, free of such anger and even violence. Yet lately, the atmosphere between the father and the prodigy had been troubled. And Sasuke was caught in the middle. Sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally.

"Sasuke, come now," she said softly, guiding him to the kitchen. Sasuke reluctantly went along, though casting a worried glance over his shoulder.

"Out!" Fugaku growled, pointing to the door.

Itachi strode past him, his face an unreadable mask once more. The door slammed shut behind them.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"I don't even know where to start. I am so disappointed in you, Itachi."

"Why? Because I'm not exactly who you want me to be? Because I'm not one of your perfectly shaped tools without a will of their own? Well, in that case, I'm sorry to disappoint you," Itachi retorted. He deliberately didn't hide an ounce of sarcasm when he spoke that last part.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about! What has gotten into you? I thought you knew the structure of this hierarchy and therefore what your position is!"

"You know nothing about me." Itachi spoke calmly again. That fact seemed to set his father off more than the words themselves.

"Why do you waste your potential like this?"

This time, the tables were turned as that single question sparked a flame of hatred deep within Itachi. Wasting his potential?! He knew how that question could sound in an alternated choice of words:

"_You are going down the drain because you spend too much time with a mere infant like Sasuke."_

"_I'm sorry I'm not a prodigy like you."_

He heard Sasuke's voice in his head as he recalled that sentence his sibling had spoken earlier that day. He had sounded genuinely sorry, even though there was no need whatsoever for that. And now that Fugaku had openly called his younger son a straggler, something that merely slowed others down, Itachi fumed with rage. He loved his little brother, and he didn't like anybody, especially members of their own family, making him look bad. So ultimately, this was where he had to make a choice: what did he value more, the love of Sasuke or the respect of his father?

"I am **not** wasting my potential. Just because you weren't loved by your brothers doesn't mean that I am condemned to not love Sasuke. If it weren't for him, I probably would have succumbed to you by now. But as long as he is around, I will not be your puppet. And if you try to separate us, I will treat you like a common opponent."

"You will do no such thing! I have had it with your defiance!"

Finally, Fugaku cracked, and he lunged at Itachi.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sasuke sat at the low kitchen table, tilting his cup from side to side, watching the tea slosh up one side, then the other. Mikoto had finished the washing-up and had joined him, watching him with that same sadness still being evident in her features.

"I wish nii-san wouldn't be in trouble just because of me," Sasuke muttered.

"Honey, your father hasn't been doing well for several days now. An outburst was inevitable… even though I didn't think he would actually go this far," Mikoto confessed.

"I just want to be as a good a brother as Itachi is for me. Why won't chichi understand?"

"Perhaps he secretly wishes that you would look up to him as much as you do to Itachi. Not that that's bad, but usually sons idolize their fathers. You, however… you've always admired Itachi. Even when you were very little. Before you could even walk, you tried to follow him around wherever he went," Mikoto told him.

"I did?"

"Yes. When you began to talk, you would gripe and complain when he had to go, be that to school or to training. But when he would come back and pick you up, showing you that he was far from forgetting you, you would giggle and hug him." A rather dreamy expression appeared on her face as she fondly remembered witnessing several moments like that.

Sasuke looked up at the ceiling as he tried to remember… and sure enough, something was there, an early memory… it was rather fuzzy, but he assumed that it was quite probable that that was indeed one of his first memories. Being in his brother's arms. He began to wonder: had their father already then disapproved of their closeness? Had he already tried to push Itachi towards another path, regardless of the fact that his sibling would be "lost" in the process?

He thought about what his mother had said before.

"But okasan, I **do** respect chichi. So why would he still be so angry?"

Mikoto reached out and began to caress the back of his hand. "Not all siblings are as close as you and Itachi."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he correctly deduced what that meant: was Fugaku… jealous of them?!

_Whump._

A dull thud captured their attention – and their worry.

Sasuke shifted, as if he were debating whether to stand up or not. "Okasan…?"

She just shook her head ruefully, since she too didn't know exactly what had caused that sound.

Nothing at all could be heard for a moment, then a clatter signaled the front door being opened.

"Let that be a lesson to you!" Fugaku's voice was harsh and ferocious.

The only response was the sound of footsteps.

"Nii–" Sasuke began when a familiar slender figure appeared in the doorway. But it was only visible for a second as Itachi swept past the kitchen, his once again loosely bound hair obscuring his face.

Fugaku took Itachi's place a few seconds later. He was rubbing his right hand a bit.

Mikoto watched this with dread. "Did you…?" she tried to ask.

"The kid has one hell of a grip. If he were to get out of hand…" Fugaku trailed off as he sat down. Aside from the hand-rubbing, he looked as if nothing had happened.

An air of unease had come up in the room. It made Sasuke want to sink into the ground. Therefore, it wasn't too surprising that a short but implacable glance from Fugaku was all it took to make him leave the room. Mikoto shot her husband a disapproving look, but all that made him do was grunt. Instead of defiant, it sounded as if he were satisfied.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Fidgeting nervously, Sasuke knocked at his brother's door.

"Nii-san?"

Not a peep came from the room.

"Nii-san?" Sasuke repeated, a bit louder now.

Still no answer.

His worry became stronger, and it quickly drove Sasuke to do something he hadn't done in quite a while: he opened the door even though he hadn't received explicit permission to enter (but he **had** asked, after all). He just couldn't stand the suspense.

What exactly had happened outside the house? Was Itachi alright, like he had said he would be? Why hadn't he stopped by the kitchen so they wouldn't be left in the dark like that?

Sasuke opened the door enough to peek into the room. And that was all he needed.

"…Itachi…?" he breathed in confusion and disbelief.

The window above Itachi's bed was open, and a gentle breeze made the curtains sway.

Itachi wasn't there.

* * *

I know it's kinda short, but please forgive me! And hey, provided that you want me to continue, fear not, for the third part is already in the making (and pretty fast, might I add). Prepare for more ItaSasu! :)

Anyways, please review! And if you're bothered that I dedicated this to you in case you think it sucked, tell me and I shall do what needs to be done so your name shall not be disgraced.

Thanks for reading!

_devotedtodreams_


	3. Passion

Ah... I'm satisfied with how quickly I wrote this, but still I'm nervous about posting it. Behold yet another attempt by me to write a make-out scene... thing. I am very inexperienced with even minorly graphic things, so I do sincerely hope this won't make you want to gouge your eyes out with the nearest object. And in case you will be wondering... this is just about as "good" as I can do it (this time, it was a bit easier than the other times; I think it helped that I was listening to "Muddy Water Blues" - not usually my type of music, but useful for such situations), so if you'd want anymore more graphic, I'd have to work with someone who knows how to do it better. Just... wanted to warn you.

Well, that's all from my side for the moment, so I hope you'll enjoy this!

* * *

The next day, Mikoto barely exchanged more than a dozen words with Fugaku – and judging by the way she spoke them, even a dozen words were twelve words too many. It depicted all too clearly how upset she was because her older son had left without a word or even a note. Nothing. Mikoto blamed it all on her husband, who insisted that Itachi either just needed time to «think about the lesson and hopefully learn from it», or that he was overreacting.

And Sasuke? He didn't care about the reason; all he knew was that something really bad must have happened the other day, otherwise Itachi wouldn't have left them just like that. This situation was very different from when Itachi went on missions, so it wasn't surprising that Sasuke missed him more than ever.

He spent the whole day waiting for any signs of his brother, the slightest hint of any sort that would help him know better if Itachi was alright and maybe even where he had gone to. He avoided his father as if the man were an extremely contagious sickness, for he was practically sure that he was the cause for Itachi's departure. Mikoto tried to comfort him, but that hardly helped, since one could hear that she didn't truly believe in what she said.

"Sasuke, honey, he'll be back soon. You'll see. And I'm sure he's alright."

The younger Uchiha was silent for a moment, not reacting in any way to her petting his hair a bit, then asked bluntly:

"Has aniki ever run away like this?"

The resigned look on her face was the only answer he needed.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Dinner had been a mostly silent ordeal with an icy atmosphere to go with it. Sasuke glanced at his parents, wondering if there was anything that could be said to break this silence and end this tension. He couldn't think of anything. Again, he was caught in the middle, and he felt very lonely.

"Okasan, may I be excused?" he asked quietly.

"Of course, dear. Would you like some dessert?" she asked.

Normally, **he** approached **her** when it came to dessert, but in moments like this, it was the other way around. Looking miserable, he shook his head. Mikoto patted the back of his hand a couple of times, then he stood up and left. His loneliness didn't go away, but as soon as he left the room, he felt as if he could breathe more easily.

He had just begun to wonder if he should go to his room or outside for a while when he realized that he was heading straight for Itachi's room. When that hit him, he quickened his pace and soon slipped through the door which was slightly ajar. The room was still deserted.

'_Nii-san…'_ he thought longingly as he sat down on the elder's bed. It dipped a bit beneath his weight, and even though the air in the room was more or less fresh, especially on the bed he could still smell the scent of his brother. It made him think of waking up in this very same place, willingly "trapped" in the warm, cozy sheets. And more often than not, Itachi had been giving him additional warmth by hugging him. That was when they left the world outside, content in their own little realm where they needed nothing else besides each other; a place that neither one of them would leave if it weren't for a small yet big thing called reality.

As he basked in those memories, Sasuke let himself fall onto the sheets. His brother's scent became even stronger. Sasuke inhaled deeply. Like a wave that washed gently against the shore, a familiar warm feeling spread throughout his body. He felt like this whenever he was in Itachi's arms; it was a lulling warmth that made him feel… heavy, lazy… almost sleepy at times. It was as if in the next moment, he would find himself in Itachi's embrace again if he just thought about it hard enough.

Sasuke sighed heavily.

"…Sasuke!" a surprised-sounding voice spoke.

The illusion was shattered as Sasuke's eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright in a flash. Wide-eyed, he stared at the door – and did his jaw just drop?

There in the doorway stood Itachi, his eyebrows raised to show his surprise. Long black hair covered his shoulders, the foremost strands spread wildly across his front. Drop by drop, water pearled out of them, slowly trickling down his body until they got soaked up by a pale yellow towel that was wrapped around his waist.

As Sasuke gawked at his brother, a droplet of water trickled down Itachi's forehead – and right into his eye. By reflex, the older Uchiha closed his eyes for a second and shook his head, thus ridding his hair of some more wetness. Then he rubbed at his eyes for a second before running the same hand through his hair in a fluid, smooth gesture.

It was a breath-taking sight.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" Itachi asked concernedly. The boy looked as if he were having a fever, and his big black eyes were darting up and down, though repeatedly looking back at Itachi's face.

'_Is he…?'_ the prodigy wondered, feeling heat rise to his cheeks as he took a step into the room.

That movement seemed to break the spell Sasuke was under: he leapt off the bed and in his haste, he half ran and half stumbled across the room.

"Aniki! You're back!" he cried and nearly crashed into Itachi, flinging his arms around his middle. Where he made skin contact with the other, he could feel how warm the skin was. He knew that Itachi liked to shower hot: whenever he had gone into the bathroom right after his sibling, the room was like a home-made sauna. Something that sounded like a purr escaped his lips as he rubbed his cheek against Itachi's stomach in happiness and relief.

"I'm so happy that you're back!" he murmured.

"I know, otouto… everything's alright now…" Itachi whispered, fondly ruffling the part of Sasuke's hair that looked like a chicken's ass, as some kids referred to it.

"Promise?" Sasuke asked.

"Promise." Very gently, he pried Sasuke loose and retreated a step to look up and down the corridor. Once he was convinced that they were alone and wouldn't be disturbed all too soon, he closed the door and led Sasuke to his bed.

All the while, the youngster hadn't taken his eyes off him, and they had only just sat down when he exclaimed: "Nii-san, what happened to you?"

"I was taught a lesson," Itachi answered. A faint note of displeasure could be heard in his voice.

"**This**… is a lesson?" Concern was written in capital letters all over Sasuke's face as he reached out and touched a spot on Itachi's right jawbone. For the first few moments upon seeing him again, the elder had looked perfect and incredibly handsome – the latter was still the case, but then Sasuke had noticed that something was off: a bluish spot, a bruise. Plus, that spot was swollen. Even as his fingers just brushed it very lightly, Itachi flinched.

The reaction was so simple, so basic, yet it had an immensely saddening effect on Sasuke. He had seen Itachi flinch when he had yelled into his ear as a little squirt, craving attention – sure, who **wouldn't** react like that, given that circumstance? But he had never seen his brother flinch due to pain. To him, Itachi was… invulnerable. Indestructible. Untouchable. Therefore, he was very troubled by that reaction; and make that double when he thought about who had done that to him.

"…Chichi?" He barely heard his own voice.

Itachi didn't nod or shrug or anything, but Sasuke could tell by the look in his eyes that the answer to that question was affirmative. He stared at the bruise, horrified – and afraid. Their father had really hit his older son… the one he put all his hopes in. The one he had always preferred and praised. The one whom he definitely seemed to like better. But now that that image had been damaged, who could guarantee that Fugaku wouldn't do something even worse to his other son, the one who slowed everything down, who just so happened not to be a prodigy? Again, Sasuke felt afraid of his father, like he had when they had come home the other day.

When he saw the boy begin to tremble, Itachi wasted not a single second to comfort him: he put an arm around Sasuke's shoulders and squeezed them lightly in a silent invitation for him to come closer. Jerked out of his horrified daze, Sasuke's gaze flickered to Itachi's eyes, and in the next moment, he pressed himself against the other's body that still gave off that soothing warmth that whisked him away to their imaginary place where nothing could harm either of them. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing them both far, far away.

"Don't worry, Sasuke… I will not let this happen to you too. As long as I'm around, he won't harm you."

"But aniki… what will I do when you go on a mission or something? When you're not here?" Shifting, Sasuke peered upwards.

"I'll go talk to him. After that, I think he can be quite sure that I would find out if he hurts you, no matter how much it would be covered up. And you would tell me, wouldn't you?"

Anxiously, Sasuke nodded.

Itachi smiled at him and decided that he wanted to see his little brother smile at him again. Being a bit precautious around Fugaku really wouldn't be that bad of a guess right now, but too much anxiety didn't suit Sasuke well. And Itachi was more than ready to lay eyes on what made even the gloomiest day alright again. Or at least, he wanted to give Sasuke something happier to think about.

Slowly letting his eyes close, he bowed his head, and just after he had seen Sasuke's eyes half-close as well, he was graced with that oh-so-pleasant feeling of those smaller, soft lips against his. Relishing and surrendering without a fight to this bliss, he barely registered how he raised a hand and gently cupped one of Sasuke's cheeks to make the boy cock his head – all for the sake of better access.

Sasuke moaned softly when he felt his brother kiss him more deeply. He had always been treated tenderly and lovingly by him… but this took it to a new level. The sensation of their kiss sent ripples of excitement through his veins. He began to feel hot all over. But it wasn't uncomfortable like when one had a fever, no; this was something for which he couldn't find the proper word yet. Expressions like "passion" and "lust" were still new to him. While part of his mind still struggled to find a suitable expression for what he was feeling, the rest of him wondered if Itachi was feeling the same way.

The question was answered when he felt a certain someone's tongue brush across his lower lip. Something like an instinct made Sasuke open his mouth, even though he had no idea why.

Was Itachi feeling the same? Boy, was he ever. But unlike Sasuke, he knew more words to describe it. He had heard his older teammates discuss topics like this, and he knew their vocabulary. He also knew that some things weren't meant for children's ears quite yet… And although the same thing could be said for certain actions, he found that he was too caught up in the moment to stop just now.

Ignoring what little rationality he had left, Itachi let his tongue touch his brother's lower lip – and he was delighted when the youngster complied with his request. Slowly yet steadily (after all, he didn't want to make Sasuke feel uncomfortable or even scare him by acting all too impulsively), he let his tongue wander on right into the younger one's mouth, taking his time with exploring it. A series of deep, passion-laced moans escaped his throat, mingling with the slightly lighter sounds from Sasuke.

Giving in to his need for air, he drew back just for a second before continuing where he had left off, caressing Sasuke's tongue with no less love than when he touched his cheek or hand… He felt the boy responding in a similar fashion. It occurred to him that although Sasuke probably had no control over what he was doing, he almost certainly was enjoying it; otherwise he would have initiated protest by now. The sensation had his sense of touch running wild, and with a long, utterly content sigh, Itachi moved his arm down from Sasuke's shoulders to his waist and beckoned him to follow as he let himself fall backwards onto the sheets.

The bed jiggled as Sasuke scrambled to follow, driven by the urge to not leave Itachi's lips just yet. His collar made a lot of pressure on the back of his neck as he flopped onto the elder's lap, from where he inched forward like a dying man until their lips made contact again. He fidgeted, trying to find a truly comfortable position while his subconscious cursed the damn collar.

"Mmmh… Sasuke, stop squirming…" Itachi groaned. Feeling his brother moving against him like that was really tempting… and arousing…

"Sorry, aniki…" Sasuke paused when he was given a brief kiss again. "I'm just trying to…" Kiss. "…get comfortable…" More kisses, some deeper, some more innocent.

He wouldn't have thought it would happen, but before he believed that he wouldn't be able to prevent the next step from happening – it wouldn't be fair since Sasuke knew nothing about it yet – Itachi's practically ever-present sense for rationality kicked in.

They were going too fast. He was thinking way too far ahead. Someone had to stop now, before… before he would end up stealing the innocence of a six-year-old. Of his own brother, above all things.

"Otouto… stop… enough…" he said in a strained voice, turning his head away even though his senses protested, wanting the sweet taste of those lips back.

"But aniki, I want more…" Sasuke pleaded. "Why must we stop?"

"It's for the best."

"…Did I mess up again?" the boy asked dejectedly, looking away.

Sighing, Itachi forced him to look at him again. "No, it's not your fault. I can't explain it right now… you wouldn't understand."

"You could try anyway," Sasuke suggested.

Itachi shook his head. "No. Let's just say I wouldn't feel so great, considering that I left without telling you or anybody."

As he had hoped for, this distracted Sasuke.

"Where did you go to, nii-san? And why?" he inquired, folding his hands on Itachi's chest and supporting his chin on them.

"I just needed some time for myself. I was so angry that I was no longer sure what I would do if I were to stick around. And there had been enough violence for one day; surely you agree with that, don't you?"

Mutely, Sasuke nodded, stealing a glance at the bruise on Itachi's face. Before his mood could go in the same direction it had before, they heard a concerned call from outside the room:

"Sasuke, honey, where are you? Sasuke!"

"Okasan!" Sasuke exclaimed softly. Of course: his mother had to be worried since she had probably looked outside and in his room, but he hadn't been there. Perhaps she even feared that both sons had run off now.

"I'll tell her that you're with me," Itachi told him and fidgeted, signaling that he wanted to get up. Obediently, Sasuke got off of him. He watched as his sibling crossed the room, his long, slender fingers playing with his damp hair a bit as if to sort them out.

"Okasan!" Itachi called as he opened the door.

Mikoto had just passed the room, and she whirled around when she heard someone address her. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw who it was.

"Itachi! Oh, I was so worried! Where were you?" she asked, approaching him in a hurry.

"…Around," he answered curtly, hoping that she wouldn't ask anymore questions concerning that matter.

"If only I knew where Sasuke is; he'd be overjoyed to see that you're back –"

"He already knows that. He's with me now." Itachi nodded in the direction of his room.

"You know, I almost think he was more worried than me," she remarked, smiling at him.

"I shouldn't have left you without any notification of any sort. Forgive me; I shall try not to let it happen again," Itachi apologized. He knew he wouldn't be able (and wasn't willing, either) to apologize to his father, but his mother had no fault in this conflict. And he was grateful for every time she comforted Sasuke when he wasn't around.

"Don't make it sound as if it were your fault, dear," she replied quietly. "If your father hadn't been so stressed, I'm sure your homecoming would have been different."

"But the fact remains that he **was**, okasan, and you and I know that it could happen again. That thought is anything but comforting, and I cannot deny that I am very concerned about Sasuke," Itachi argued.

"He won't be harmed." Mikoto sounded very determined. There was no doubt that if she had even had the slightest suspense that her husband would have resolved to violence, she would have tried to prevent Itachi's "lesson" from happening.

Said prodigy nodded grimly, and that sealed their non-spoken agreement to spare Sasuke from such experiences.

"Okasan?" Sasuke chimed in, looking up at them from where he stood in the doorway.

Smiling gently, Mikoto knelt and hugged him.

"I'm sure you're glad Itachi's back, right?" she whispered.

"Yeah, very much," Sasuke answered, then asked: "Okasan, can I sleep with nii-san tonight?"

Itachi felt a slight blush rise in his cheeks as his mind made a move towards the gutter – the after-effect of the not quite planned making-out session with his brother.

"I'm not the one you should ask, sweetheart. You should ask Itachi instead," Mikoto chuckled.

"Nii-san…?" Sasuke began, turning around.

Itachi was very thankful for the darkness of the corridor. "Of course you can, Sasuke. But first, go put on your pajamas."

Sasuke gave him another one of those adorable smiles, then he let his mother kiss his forehead in a way of saying goodnight before he scampered off to his room.

Mikoto rose again and proceeded to say goodnight to her other son too. "Sleep well, honey. I'm very glad that you returned so soon."

"I know, okasan. I hope you'll sleep well too," Itachi said.

It was then that Mikoto softly caressed his right cheek in that distinctive, motherly fashion. Before Itachi could evade it, she touched his bruise – making him draw back as suddenly as if he had received an electric shock. A faint hiss came from him as well.

"Itachi?" Mikoto wondered. "Are you hurt?"

"Just… a little bruise. Nothing to get upset about," he answered quickly.

Needless to say, that answer wasn't good enough for Mikoto, who carefully forced him into the faint light that shone out of his room. When she saw the aftermath of the father-son dispute, she gasped. Itachi wrenched himself out of her grasp, knowing that look on her face: she wanted to treat it. She probably thought he was in pain. Well, he was, but no ointment could soothe it.

"I really am fine," he insisted. "Don't go making a scene now."

"But –" she began. However, they were interrupted by Sasuke's return.

"I'm ready now! Aniki, how come I have to wear pajamas if you aren't?" he asked, pointing at the towel around the other's waist.

Itachi inched back into the shadows, just in case the blush would return. "I'll put some on now too, Sasuke… why on earth do you think I'd sleep without wearing any?"

He regretted that question from the second he had posed it, and when Sasuke opened his mouth to give an honest reply, he only got as far as:

"You're beau–"

"Oh look, it's way past your bedtime. Come now, otouto. See you tomorrow, okasan!" Itachi cut him off, ushering him into the room.

Sasuke showed his mother a happy, toothy grin as he was shooed past her. Mikoto in turn started laughing, very amused by this rarely seen form of interaction between the two boys. It was so cute… but she knew that had Fugaku been present, he would have interfered in some way. With a quiet sigh, she went back to the kitchen, though taking care not to let the head of the family know that Itachi had returned.

* * *

Another chapter done... I'm in the process of gathering a couple of ideas, but feel free to make suggestions of your own ;)

And now I'll go to bed... haven't been feeling well this evening, dunno why. But it sucks. _(sigh)_

Review if you can spare the time! I'm always happy to hear from you guys! :)


	4. Dreams and orders

And here is chapter 4! Man, it was sorta hard for me to write this because I'm itching to write a Christmas-y part... maybe I should stop listening to Christmas music so excessively :D

The middle part was especially hard for me, so forgive me if it's not that good. Luckily, I just got inspired in a restaurant on Friday (inspired to write the part with Fugaku-baka), and then it didn't take too much longer to finish it.

Enjoy, guys! :)

* * *

"Nii-san, I wanna play…"

"How about if I introduce you to another new game, Sasuke?"

"Okay! What are the rules?"

Itachi gave the boy a little push, which made him fall onto the bed as its edge touched the hollows of his knees. The startled and yet questioning look on his face only lingered shortly when Itachi followed, pinning him down with his weight.

"There aren't any," he whispered in a seductive voice, then captured Sasuke's lips in a deep, passionate kiss.

Before long, Sasuke was returning the touch with almost the same intensity and eagerness like his brother. Itachi enjoyed every second and every ounce of happiness that he felt. Every moan he heard from Sasuke gave him this feeling of utmost satisfaction. Only after he had thoroughly explored the youngster's mouth and memorized both its warmth and taste did he leave those soft lips, now slowly working his way downwards, pausing at the neck in particular to give a spot of his choice a good, pleasurable suck.

Sasuke's moans became louder, which made Itachi smile deviously. He couldn't restrain a sensual moan of his own as he busied himself with Sasuke's chest, paying special attention to the ever-sensitive nipples. Sasuke shivered with delight and uttered Itachi's name in a tone of voice that only fueled the elder's very specific desires. The heat of the moment had captured him wholly. His right hand touched something soft, and a quick glance confirmed that he had reached the waistband of Sasuke's pants–

"Aniki! Aniki! Are you feeling alright?"

What? What kind of question was **that** in such a moment?

"Mhmngwonderful…" Itachi murmured, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Are you sure?"

Sleepily, Itachi blinked, asking himself over and over again: what the heck was going on? Sasuke's rather worried face finally lost its blurriness; his cheeks weren't flushed due to sexual arousal, and he wasn't pinned beneath his sibling. It began to dawn on Itachi that they really weren't on the verge of making love, that it had all been nothing but a dream.

"Wha…?" God, he sounded so stupid! His brain was taking a bit longer than usual to boot up today…

"I asked if you're alright. You were making strange noises," Sasuke repeated.

"Noises?" Itachi propped himself up on his elbows and looked around as if he wanted to make sure that he was where he thought he was.

"Yeah. You went like this…" And then Sasuke began to imitate Itachi, who froze in the middle of yawning heartily. It sounded just like it had in his dream! To make matters worse, Sasuke perfected his parroting by mimicking the lustful expressions his brother must have sported on his face astonishingly well. It was then that Itachi began to wonder if he had already woken up with a "little problem" or if he had just gotten it. Trying to act casual, he bunched the covers up at his waist and just below; he didn't feel like giving Sasuke "the talk" when the day had only just begun, as he could tell by the color of the sun's rays.

"Sasuke, I'm fine. I was just having a… really good dream," he finally said. It was the honest truth.

"Oh. I'm relieved… because you did sound kinda like you were having some trouble with breathing," Sasuke replied with a smile.

Well, it **had** been a rather vivid dream…

Hiding your feelings wasn't always an advantage, especially in moments like this, as Itachi came to know: oblivious to the elder's discomfort, Sasuke rambled on:

"I wish I knew that you were dreaming about – then I'd think about that before I go to sleep so I can dream about it too!"

"Of course, Sasuke. Listen, I must get up now and have that talk with chichi. You can sleep a little longer if you want to," Itachi instructed him, saying the first part rather fast. He could practically hear the cold shower calling out to him… now if only he wouldn't meet his parents on the short way to the bathroom…

A couple of minutes later, he had thanked the spirits for being on his side because he hadn't met Mikoto or Fugaku yet. The cold shower had been something like his final wake-up call, and now he was wide awake again. When he opened the door to exit the bathroom, he was greeted by the sight of an eager-looking Sasuke clutching the clothes he would wear in a bundle.

"And here I was, thinking that you're not a morning person," Itachi said thoughtfully.

"I'm not, but when I wake up with you, it's something different!" Sasuke replied with what looked suspiciously like a smirk.

Itachi gave him the familiar «Oh, really?» look, but he actually silently agreed with his brother. After all, how often did one wake up next to his sibling only to hear him almost living his practically M-rated dream…?

"Aniki, before it's too late, I'd like to ask you something: will you train with me a bit today?"

**That** sure explained why Sasuke hadn't accepted Itachi's offer to stay in his bed a bit longer.

"I'll see if that can be arranged."

"I do hope so!" As always when there was the possibility that he could spend some quality time with his brother, Sasuke looked enthralled. He flashed his sibling one of his best morning smiles ever, then slipped past him into the bathroom.

Chuckling quietly and stretching, Itachi returned to his room once more to quickly make his bed a bit. As he fumbled with the sheets, he noticed that his thoughts kept straying back to that heavenly dream of his, and he mentally slapped himself; he had only just taken a cold shower, for God's sake!

It was on that day that Itachi got his earliest laugh yet: when he left the room and was about to head for the kitchen, he heard a dismayed squeal from the bathroom.

"Gack! Aniki, why is the water so cold?! I thought you had a shower!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

If it weren't for that visible bruise on Itachi's jawbone, Mikoto would think that no violent incident had ever happened: Itachi had ambled into the kitchen with an amused smile playing on his lips, and not too much later, Sasuke had joined them with a rather cute pout on his face. The atmosphere was relaxed and peaceful.

"Why so grim, Sasuke, sweetie?" she inquired as she made breakfast for them.

"Nii-san showered **cold**, okasan! And he didn't tell me that when **I** showered!"

"Cold? But I thought you showered hot, dear," she said, peering over her shoulder at Itachi, who shrugged with his perfect mask of indifference in place once more.

"I figured that it would help me since I had a little trouble waking up," he answered.

Mikoto frowned, concerned. "Didn't you sleep well? I thought you liked mornings."

Before Itachi could say something, Sasuke did that for him:

"He had a good dream, okasan."

"Oh, really? Do you remember it?" she asked her older son as she handed them their breakfasts and sat down opposite of them.

"No," Itachi lied. As if he would tell his mother about a sexually stimulating dream before he'd tell the actual cause of it first: Sasuke…!

Mikoto smiled as if to say «That's alright», then allowed herself to slip back into the concerned-mother-mode.

"But otherwise you're fine?" She gestured to her own right jawbone.

Itachi wondered if he would be able to create a whirlpool in his bowl if he stirred the cereal and milk around any longer. Plus, would he ever get around to actually eat his breakfast?

"Yes, okasan. By the way, is chichi up yet?"

"…He is…" she answered slowly.

"Is he still here?"

"No, he already went to work. Why?" Noticing a determined look in his eyes, she added: "I think it would be for the best if you steered clear of him today."

"This cannot wait. Besides, he discusses things with me whenever he wants, so perhaps he'll return the favor for a change."

Sasuke briefly paused while eating his own cereal to glance worriedly at his brother too.

"Itachi, I know you're upset…"

'_Isn't __**that**__ a friendly way to put it,'_ Itachi thought.

"…but please be reasonable! I don't want anything to happen to you again!"

"That is solely to blame on a slip-up on my part. He caught me by surprise. And you know that I am in no favor of violence, don't you?" Itachi asked her, even though he already knew the answer to the question.

Mikoto sighed. Indeed, she did know that; ever since he had experienced the Third Ninja War and seen its devastating results, Itachi had avoided violence whenever he could. He would always try to make a non-violent approach to a problem first. But if he got very angry or a mission demanded it of him, he would temporarily abandon the peacefulness. And his strength, once fully unleashed, was already notorious.

"I shall go see chichi now," Itachi announced, standing up and shortly bowing gratefully when his mother took his now empty bowl from him (he had used the last pause to eat as much of his cereal as he could).

"Nii-san –" Sasuke began.

Silently, Itachi shushed him and ruffled the black hair.

"I'll be back soon, otouto. And then we'll train together for a while, okay?"

Sasuke nodded, but his worry remained. When his brother left the room and the front door slid open and shut shortly thereafter, he added quietly:

"Be careful…"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

At the police headquarters, Itachi was called into his father's office as soon as the man at the reception gave Fugaku the name of his visitor. Looking as calm as ever, Itachi closed the door behind him.

"Itachi," Fugaku said in acknowledgement, then paused before remarking: "So, is there anything you have to say for yourself?"

"Nothing, except that I wish to discuss this conflict with you, otosan."

"I don't think there's anything to discuss," Fugaku replied curtly, flipping through his paperwork as an additional sign of disinterest.

"I disagree. I want to talk to you about Sasuke," Itachi insisted.

Fugaku stiffened and gave Itachi a look that would make any average human being wither. Itachi, on the other hand, looked back intently like someone bravely facing a wild beast; it was one of his guidelines not to run away from someone who was trying to be intimidating. The extremely tense silence was only minimally disrupted by the very muffled sounds from outside the office.

"Itachi, I thought I had told you to only stop by if it's something really important," Fugaku finally said.

"I deem this important enough, otosan. Sasuke is my little brother and your younger son – so excuse me for being so frank, but you should start treating him as such."

"If he would start living up to be worthy of the name Uchiha, I would do so. But he is already six, and I have yet to see something worth praising."

"Don't compare him with me. He suffers very much because of that."

"Hn. If he idolizes you as much as I believe he does, he should have plenty of motivation to improve."

"He **is** motivated! But it is not as though your acknowledgement means nothing to him; it's quite the contrary." Itachi was really beginning to get fed up with his father's stubbornness, but in order to keep things under control, he didn't let any of his feelings show.

"Why don't you tell him what I told you? With any luck, it might have a satisfying effect." Fugaku wanted to shake his head; he didn't understand what it was about the boy that made Itachi have such strong feelings for him – and maintained them, no matter how often he, Fugaku, tried to talk it out of him.

"Why don't you give him a fair chance instead?" Itachi retorted. When all he got for that was a stern glare, he took a deep breath to stay calm and continued his attempts to persuade his father to change his attitude, if only a little bit. "Otosan… do you really want him to be afraid of you? Do you want to condemn him to strive for your appreciation while at the same time fearing to be the one to take on the full blast of your wrath? Is that what you want?"

Slowly, Fugaku put down the papers he had been holding and gazed long and thoughtfully at Itachi. He didn't move, didn't even blink; as if he had suddenly turned to stone. He had the expressionless stare to go with the rigidness, and secretly, Itachi wished he knew if his words had fallen on deaf ears or not. He told himself to expect anything from Fugaku.

Several seemingly endless moments later, life returned to the man in question, who said in a firm voice to signal that he wasn't apt to tolerate further objection: "Of course not. But the fact of the matter is that I am a man with high expectations, Itachi. And since you are currently the only one who can meet them, it is only logical that I put my main focus on you. You are the perfect embodiment of the clan and will play a leading part in its future. And that is the most important issue at the moment."

"More important than your own son," Itachi concluded as he was awfully tempted to frown. Before Sasuke had been born, he had enjoyed the praise from his father, but now it sounded deadpan and worn out. It didn't mean anything to him anymore.

"When the clan will rise to its true and deserved power again, Sasuke will have a better understanding for my ways. That is all I have to say on that subject. So unless you have something else you want to talk about, I consider this conversation finished," Fugaku declared.

"I understand," Itachi replied coldly. "There is but one more thing I want to tell you: nothing can change what I feel for Sasuke. Neither the honor of the clan nor whichever bright future you promise me. So I advise you to refrain from ever teaching him a lesson like the one you taught me, or I will do whatever it takes to ensure his safety. I do not wish to make you my opponent, otosan, but if you harm Sasuke, I will do exactly that. I swear."

No sooner had he finished speaking when he turned around, opened the door and marched out of the room. Now that he was alone in the office again, Fugaku finally allowed himself to shake his head. Itachi's defiance was getting ever stronger… and he felt a growing distance between him and the boy. He was fairly sure that if it weren't for Sasuke, that distance wouldn't exist, even if Itachi could very well have a mind of his own; most people only saw one side of him, but as the saying went, there were two sides to every coin.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Itachi was just about to go back home – after all, he had promised Sasuke to train with him – when a person he didn't immediately recognize blocked his way.

"Itachi, it is time to report to the Hokage again."

"The Hokage?" And then it hit him. "Not again. Not today…" he muttered.

"You swore to come along right away if you weren't occupied otherwise. And walking down the street classifies as not being occupied otherwise, in my humble opinion," the other ninja smirked.

The way he was being spoken to and that distinctive glint in the other man's eyes left no more question to his identity. Itachi frowned ever so slightly.

"Sometimes I think you head me off on purpose."

"What can I say? You might not even be that wrong. You see, after we've spoken to the Hokage, there's something else I want to discuss with you…"

Orders were orders, and especially if they were from the Hokage, Itachi didn't object. Yet it was with a twinge of ruefulness that he turned away from the road that led to his home and followed the other man, who was humming some random, crazy-sounding tune under his breath.

'_Forgive me, Sasuke…'_

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

By the time it was four in the afternoon, Sasuke was beyond impatient. He was angry and disappointed – and beneath that, worried as well. Currently, he was sitting in the living room with his mother, who was having a bit of time for herself and pursuing her hobby of calligraphy.

"Sasuke, sweetie, pouting won't change a thing," Mikoto said softly as she dipped the tip of her paintbrush into the black ink.

"Nii-san lied to me," Sasuke grumbled. "He said he would be back soon and train with me."

"Something else must have gotten in his way. I'm sure he didn't disappoint you willingly."

Maybe so, but **she** had never needed to put up with Itachi postponing plans for quality time, which he would end up spending with other people. Ever since his brother had been told that he would join the ANBU soon, Sasuke had begun to hear phrases like «Maybe next time, Sasuke» more often, which was why he clung to every moment they truly did spend together.

Once more remembering where Itachi had said he would go to, he sighed. "Okasan… you don't think he got into trouble with chichi, do you?"

When that question was asked, Mikoto's rhythmic movements stopped, and the ink began to make a growing blob where the tip of the brush rested on the paper. She didn't seem to notice that (yet).

"…No. At least, I don't think so." Looking back down at the paper, she noticed that the ink blob had grown until the tip of the brush was hidden from view. Dismayed, she exclaimed: "Oh no! Silly me!"

Startled by her outburst, Sasuke jumped. "I'm sorry, okasan! I didn't want to distract you so much!"

She laughed and put down the brush. "It's alright, honey – it was horrible to begin with, anyway."

Sasuke peered across the table. "But okasan, I think it looks pretty… except for… that blob… thingy…" he finished timidly.

Mikoto laughed quietly and fondly ran her fingers through the youngster's hair. He was so sweet…

Just then, the door slid open. They both looked up expectantly, and Sasuke jumped to his feet a second later.

"Nii-san!" he cried and ran to the living room doorway. When he got there, however, he stopped and swallowed hard.

"Sasuke, come outside with me. Now."

Mikoto quickly rose too, causing the brush to roll across the paper and leave a trail of tiny ink spots behind when she accidentally touched it.

"Dear, you're already home? This is unexpected –"

"Indeed. But for once, I had to take this liberty. Sasuke, come now," Fugaku cut her off.

"O-Otosan…" Sasuke stammered.

"Son, stop acting as if I am about to bite your head off and come outside," his father all but snapped.

Fearfully, Sasuke cast a glance at his mother, who reacted instantly.

"Fugaku, please don't do that again… not Sasuke…" she pleaded.

"I won't be a minute. But this cannot wait. **Now**, Sasuke, before I lose my patience," he said sharply.

Looking miserable and afraid, Sasuke bowed his head and slouched out of the room like a kicked puppy. Fugaku shot Mikoto a set look before he followed the boy – it was his look that said: «Don't interfere!» Still; once the back door slid open and shut, Mikoto noiselessly crept up to it and peered out of the window next to it, praying that the worst wouldn't come to be.

She watched how Sasuke was half-hidden behind his father, his eyes shut tightly and his head still bowed. As he waited for his father to do whatever he wanted to do, he thought about Itachi, concentrating all his thoughts on him because usually, it did comfort him at least a little bit.

'_Aniki…!'_

* * *

Naturally, I appreciate feedback, so please tell me what you think! And thanks to everyone for motivating me over and over again!

I hope you're all having a good weekend - and see you next time!


	5. Situation intensification

Whew, another chapter done! _(yawn)_ What a week. My sleeping habits are killing me...

Ah, but whatever. As usual, I hope this turned out alright and hope you guys will enjoy reading it. :)

* * *

The discussion itself with the Hokage didn't actually take too long – it was the other conversation plus the discussion with his father that quickly sucked up Itachi's time.

"Well? What is it you want to talk about?" he asked the other man when they had left the Hokage building.

"My, my, someone sure doesn't sound all that cooperative… do you have places you want to be, by any chance?"

"Actually, yes. I promised Sasuke to train with me, and because it has been a while since I last did that, I do wish to keep my promise this time."

"Itachi, Itachi… don't you know that that would merely be a waste of your time? Of **his** time? He will be dead soon anyway."

Itachi all but glared at the man walking beside him. "Come to think of it, perhaps I do want to invest a little more time in this discussion. I do not want to kill my little brother. I just can't."

"You will have to. It's all part of the plan. Just think about it: when it will all be over, you won't be able to stay here. You will become a missing-nin and will be on the run. You cannot have a child tagging along. It wouldn't get us anywhere."

"You don't understand. Nobody does. How could I hurt someone I love as much as I love him? **Kill** him, even?!"

With a theatrical sigh, the other man sat down underneath the canopy of a large tree they had reached by now. Few people came by here, so the place did have the solitude they needed to talk about such a dire subject. Madara Uchiha folded his hands behind his head.

"I thought you had asked the kid if he would…" He thought for a moment, then smirked. "…Remember your love if you would ever hurt him. Am I right?"

"You are. But keep in mind that I said **if**. And I've given this ordeal a lot of thought…"

"On a guilt trip again, hmm? Listen, Itachi: deep inside, you know it is inevitable. Even if you wouldn't kill him during the massacre – which would raise the doubtful issue of a sole survivor – you will need him anyhow. You will need his eyes to escape eternal darkness. I did the same thing."

Itachi frowned as he settled down as well, half in the sun and half in the shade. Summer was approaching its end, but of course the weather was still perfectly mild. The sun would make his ponytail warm – he remembered a four-year-old Sasuke burying his face in the long black hair strands, enjoying the warmth. As he pictured that happily smiling face, Itachi suppressed a sigh. Okay, so maybe now Madara was spared from becoming blind… but the death of his own brother, what a price! He just couldn't imagine Sasuke being in the same position.

"While we're on that topic: when are you finally going to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Madara asked.

That was the other thing: that advanced form of the Sharingan. Itachi knew what he had to do in order to obtain it, but that step was hardly any easier than the thought of killing Sasuke: his best friend would have to pay with his life for that.

"I don't know yet," Itachi simply answered.

Madara sat up, a stern look on his face. "Itachi, this is very important. The Hokage himself ordered you to carry out this mission, so this is pretty much the last thing in which you can afford to slack off! And besides, you should have plenty of motivation to execute this plan! Think about your father!" He made an accusing gesture to the still visible and slightly swollen bruise on Itachi's jawbone.

The Uchiha prodigy shook his head. "That's missing my point, Madara-san. My concerns lie elsewhere."

"I know, I know. But this is exactly why you should avoid letting feelings get in your way. The peace of Konohagakure depends on this mission!"

Maybe so, Itachi thought, but he had tried often enough to make that his first priority. And every time, he had failed sooner or later. Because of Sasuke. Sasuke always reminded him of what feeling complete was like. And because that was such a wonderful feeling, he just couldn't blot it out entirely. He had never said it out loud before, but the bottom line was that he loved Sasuke more than anything else in the world. Including Konoha. It was a truth he couldn't refuse.

Madara studied Itachi carefully when he got no response. The pale face may be expressionless, but he knew that the boy was thinking, and thanks to the prior conversation, it didn't take a genius to find out what his mind was dwelling on. He reached out and put a hand on Itachi's shoulder. Instantly, he felt the younger body stiffen as Itachi sat as straight as a pole – he hated being touched by Madara.

"You must put more distance between yourself and him, otherwise you'll jeopardize all our plans, all our preparations, all our efforts. And if that happens, then the Fourth Ninja War will come to be, and unless you suddenly have the desire to experience another war, you should pull yourself together."

"…Don't touch me," Itachi demanded in an icy voice.

Madara narrowed his eyes, but removed his hand and stood up. "Remember my words, Itachi. I expect you to make a choice – your brother or the village. But you can't have both. So go back home and frolic with your beloved little brother, but keep in mind that there isn't much time left. We mustn't screw up."

Without waiting for a response of any sort, he walked past Itachi, back to the lively streets. Itachi stayed behind, unmoving until he shuddered. How he hated having Madara touch him… or even **being** with him, in fact. But it couldn't be avoided, for it was clear that he wouldn't be able to do everything on his own, so Madara had volunteered to help him. Everything had to go smoothly, so of course Itachi didn't tell the Hokage the truth about his helper's identity. But moments like this made him want to do just that.

After all, in Madara's opinion, Sasuke's sole purpose was to surrender his eyes to Itachi, sparing his brother from blindness. He cared not for their deep bond. But he, like the others, didn't know exactly how deep that bond was.

Itachi looked up at the sky, which was slowly turning orange. Late afternoon. As he left the spot under the canopy as well, he prayed that Sasuke wouldn't be too disappointed.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Hello, okasan," Itachi said as he shuffled into the kitchen, where dinner was being prepared.

"Oh, you're finally back, dear! Where were you so long?"

"I was delayed. I suppose Sasuke is very disappointed…"

"Well, he **was** pouting a bit, but then your father had a talk with him –"

"What? Chichi is already home?!" Itachi exclaimed.

"Just for about half an hour –"

"Where is Sasuke?"

"Upstairs, having a bath. Itachi, it's alright; Fugaku didn't hurt him," Mikoto tried to calm him down.

"I suppose you're talking about the physical aspect. But what about the psychological one? They say words cannot hurt you, but I see the opposite when chichi verbally lashes out at Sasuke," Itachi persisted.

Mikoto paused for a moment. "…There… might have been an unpleasant exchange of words…"

Itachi narrowed his eyes a bit. "I'll go see how he's doing."

"Tell him that dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes, will you?"

"Of course, okasan," Itachi nodded, then headed upstairs right away. When he reached the bathroom door, he was about to knock when he heard Sasuke utter a battle cry.

"…And then they pounced! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Some wild splashing noises could be heard, and Itachi had just raised his fist again when Sasuke exclaimed in a triumphant voice:

"But of course they were no match for nii-san! He squished them like flies on a window in summer! No one doubted nii-san's skills ever again! He was the hero once again –"

"Who at the end of the day was still nothing without his little brother," a voice suddenly interrupted the rapturous praise of his sibling's imaginary victory.

Sasuke spun around in the bathtub, sending a small wave over the edge. "Nii-san!" he cried happily when he saw Itachi poking his head through the door.

"Sounds like you're having fun, otouto."

"Yeah! Hey, what are you doing way over there? Please come!" Sasuke begged, reaching out for him and almost slipping over the edge as he leaned out dangerously far.

"Contain yourself, Sasuke, before you fall out and hurt yourself," Itachi advised him as he stepped into the room and closed the door.

"Nii-san, I'm just in the bathtub!" Sasuke replied with a playful roll of his eyes. When he noticed how Itachi was only approaching him slowly, he grinned and held out his hands. "What's wrong, don't you want to hug me even though I'm turning into a raisin? I thought you loved me!"

"I do love you, otouto… I love you very, very much…" Itachi's voice softened more with every new step he took. For him, this was a divine moment: seeing Sasuke sitting there in a slowly decreasing pile of bubbles, that overjoyed smile on his face, and those big, innocent eyes which seemed to be sparkling, all because his nii-san was there. Add the way that even the stubborn hair on the back of Sasuke's head was drooping a bit with wetness while the foremost bangs were plastered to the sides of his face, letting a steady, but almost not visible stream of water pearl from the tips, and the younger Uchiha looked nothing less but beautiful, in his eyes.

One had to be either out of his mind or have a heart of stone to manage to even **think** about harming that boy. Not to mention killing him…

"…Aniki?" Sasuke wondered, cocking his head when he noticed that faraway, almost dreamy look on his brother's face. He hadn't seen it this clearly very often before. Staring back inquisitively, he watched as Itachi slowly knelt down in front of the tub. His face was a mere two or three inches away from Sasuke's, who held his breath. He couldn't remember to have ever looked so deeply into the elder's eyes, in which he saw pure admiration, love and longing.

"Ita–" he began, but was silenced in a most effective way: Itachi overcame the little distance between them and softly kissed Sasuke on the lips. Still; even though the touch was soft, there was some incredible power in it, a power that made Sasuke wholly devote himself to his brother from the first second on after their lips met. A wave of the same hotness he had felt when they had made out the other night washed over him, making him grip the edge of the tub, just in case it would be too overwhelming. He felt his vocal chords vibrate as a long, content summing escaped his throat.

That noise made Itachi smile even as they kissed. He had actually only wanted to make this a short touch before he got around to ask Sasuke about the "talk" with Fugaku – but just like the last time they had been in such a rather promising situation, the sounds he heard from Sasuke made him want to hear more. He wanted to **feel** more – the other him who took over whenever he got so close to Sasuke these days demanded so. That other him wanted to hear Sasuke cry his name like in the dream, but of course this time in reality. So the original reason for his visit got temporarily replaced with a better one.

Itachi slowly let his hand wander from Sasuke's cheek to his shoulders, then slowly along his arms. How warm and smooth that skin felt…! And it was all his. His to feel, to smother with kisses. He knew this because he knew Sasuke loved him just as much – even though he wasn't aware of exactly what type of love this was. But he would come to know that; Itachi silently swore to tell him that before the second part of the play that was their lives would begin.

Now his hand touched Sasuke's and gently forced it to let go of the tub's rim. He was about to guide it up to his neck so Sasuke would be able to pull him even closer when he suddenly paused as a desire overcame him.

Breathing a last kiss onto Sasuke's lips, he raised the youngster's arm a bit and turned his head until the tip of his nose touched the milky skin. He inhaled deeply and pleasurably as he let his nose wander towards the hand he was still holding. To quench his thirst for the boy's taste, he let his lips brush across the skin, indulging in its softness. And kami, did Sasuke smell good! It was like a perfect mixture of the individual body odor and the scent of the shampoo: Mikoto had always bathed Sasuke in water with jasmine flower shampoo. White jasmine blossoms, to be precise. They stood for amiability, so she had deemed them absolutely perfect for her younger son. It was a very sweet scent, concentrated at its source on Sasuke's skin and slowly beginning to cloud Itachi's mind.

'_Sasuke…'_ Itachi had now reached the wrist, and moving on just a bit, he tenderly kissed the palm of his brother's hand.

"_You must put more distance between yourself and him."_

"_Why do you waste your potential like this?"_

He heard those words over and over again as he bestowed his deep affection upon the one to whom his heart belonged. It was like a foreign mantra that was trying to get in his way. But he refused to allow that; why waste the perfection of such a moment by trying to listen to fools who were too blinded to understand that a feeling like love couldn't be pushed aside so easily? Especially when the person you loved was practically always with you. Living under the same roof, even.

Damp hair brushed his right cheek as Sasuke nuzzled him affectionately.

"Nii-san…"

Finishing what he had started before, Itachi guided the youngster's arm to his neck, and a second later, he felt himself being pulled a bit closer as Sasuke snuggled up against him. Itachi didn't care that his shirt got wet. Why on earth would he care about that when he had an adorable being like Sasuke by his side?

"Otouto… thank God you're okay. I was worried about you," Itachi murmured, running his fingers through the wet hair.

"Worried?" Sasuke asked.

"Because apparently, chichi had a talk with you. Haha told me so."

"Oh. Yeah, he did…" Sasuke trailed off.

"…And?" Itachi asked when there was a short silence.

"He… he said he had heard something that didn't please him at all." Sasuke sounded much quieter now.

Itachi held him a bit tighter. "What was that? What did he do, Sasuke?"

"…He asked me to throw a shuriken and hit a target. He had heard that I couldn't do that."

Taken aback, Itachi shifted until he could look into his brother's eyes. A blush of embarrassment had tinted the boy's cheeks pink, and one could tell by his expression that he would have liked the ground to open up and swallow him.

"What?! Where did he hear that nonsense?"

Sasuke averted his gaze.

_(flashback)_

"_Sasuke, this straggling of yours has got to end. And I mean __**now**__. Do you know what I heard today?"_

"_N-No, otosan… what did you hear?" Sasuke all but squeaked._

"_They say that you have never before thrown a shuriken, much less hitting a target while doing so."_

_Sasuke finally looked up at his father again. "But otosan, that's not true! I __**have**__ thrown shuriken before! I'm practicing!"_

_Fugaku looked unimpressed and crossed his arms. Sasuke immediately knew that the man didn't believe him. "It's always easy to claim something, Sasuke. __However, as far as I can tell, you spend your time clinging to Itachi like a bur, not doing things to become a shinobi. But Itachi…" (Sasuke hung his head – now the same old story would start again.) "…when he was six, he got enrolled in the Ninja Academy and graduated just a year later – top of the class, of course…"_

_Fugaku knew fully well what he was doing to Sasuke by speaking so highly of Itachi__ – he did it on purpose, after all. He hoped that it would make Sasuke resent his brother, that he would plunge himself into the work of becoming at least as good as Itachi. Fugaku had dreamed of two prodigious, very skilled sons from the moment Sasuke had been born. But now he was disappointed. He had been furious to hear the whispering and rumors at work after Itachi had left the office._

"_Itachi-san is so skilled… only eleven years old, and already a chuunin!"_

"_Indeed… but have you heard about his brother? Apparently, he doesn't even know how to throw a shuriken! Some say he has never even held one in his hands before!"_

"_Well, __**I've**__ never heard anything great about him… Fugaku-san never speaks of him…"_

_This was an utter disgrace to the head of Konoha's Military Police. His first impulse had been to teach Sasuke a lesson like the one he had taught Itachi, but then he figured that a psychological lesson might be a better guess since the boy would run straight to Itachi if someone laid a hand on him. It was much better to drive a wedge between them – maybe then his dream would still come true, and he would be able to be proud of both of them._

"_Sasuke, I really pray that this is the last__ time I have to tell you this: grow up. And fast. If you want to be like Itachi, you have a mountain of work ahead of you. But if you don't make a drastic change in your attitude, you will never be able to manage that."_

"_O-Otosan… do you mean you believed what they said… about me?__!" Sasuke almost whispered._

"_I wouldn't have been able to tell them that they're absolutely mistaken," Fugaku simply said. In other words: yes._

_Sasuke balled his hands to fists and swallowed. He almost panicked when he noticed that his vision was becoming blurry with more silvery tears that his father hated to see. No; if he cried now, __he was done for! Then he could kiss any chances of ever gaining some respect from his father goodbye for good!_

"_Sasuke, go get a shuriken," Fugaku commanded._

_The younger Uchiha whirled around and hastily ran back into the house, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve as he went. When he stepped through the door, he found his mother standing there, looking at him worriedly._

"_Sasuke, honey, what's wrong?" she asked._

"_Okasan… I… nothing. Nothing," he repeated as he silently told himself not to let on how much he was hurt. Hurt in a way nobody could see with the naked eye unless he let it show. _

_Mikoto reached out to give his shoulder a reassuring pat or hug him comfortingly, but he didn't give her that time: he turned away from her and disappeared. A moment later, he reappeared, holding a shuriken. Raising an eyebrow, Mikoto watched as he went outside again._

"_Stand here," Fugaku told him. "And throw it at that branch up there." He pointed at the tree that stood close to the wall some ways away from them. He was talking about a rather thin branch that wasn't even directly adjoined with the trunk._

_Sasuke took a deep breath and concentrated, preparing to throw the shuriken. He knew that he mustn't take this task too lightly, considering the distance and the thinness of the branch. He took aim, __wound up and then threw the weapon. As he watched it fly, he felt how hope blossomed within him, rushing through his veins – but then the shuriken merely scratched the branch, leaving a dent in the wood. It didn't dig itself into it, like it should have. Like it was __**expected**__ to. _

_His shoulders sagging a bit with despair, Sasuke slowly turned around to look at his father, fearing what he would see, hear and maybe even feel.__ Fugaku's thin and practically always unsmiling lips had curled into a frown. He needn't have said anything to make it clear what he thought about his son's little performance. But he did that anyhow._

"_At least you can throw them,"__ he said, but even then sounded disgusted. Shaking his head, he headed back to the house, and Sasuke couldn't help but overhear him muttering: "__**Itachi**__ would have done it with ease… guess I will have to continue relying entirely on him…"_

_Sasuke stayed behind, hanging his head in shame and trembling in a desperate effort to restrain a desolated cry and a few tears. He felt like he had been standing there forever, hearing his father's words repeat themselves in his mind, when he suddenly felt a warm hand squeeze his shoulder comfortingly; he could feel the warmth even through his shirt. Inhaling audibly through his nose, he looked up to see Mikoto staring at him with that distinctively gentle, reassuring look in her black eyes._

"_O-Oka-Okasan…" he stammered hoarsely._

"_Ssh, Sasuke. Try not to let it weigh so heavily on you," she whispered. "How about if you come in, and I'll run a bath for you, hmm?"_

_Silently, he nodded, and with a small smile, she took him by the hand and led him back inside._

_(end flashback)_

"Otouto…" Itachi murmured, lightly caressing Sasuke's cheek as he had begun to do when the boy's voice had started to sound strained. By the time he was almost done, it was little more than a whisper. It saddened him to see bitter tears glistening in the onyx eyes. And to think that just several minutes ago, Sasuke had been laughing as he had splashed around…

"Nii-san… I don't think chichi will ever respect me. He doesn't want me. I bet he wishes I had never been born," Sasuke sighed dejectedly. He shuddered, then added just loud enough for Itachi to hear: "And in that moment, I think I wished I never was."

"No, Sasuke… please don't say that! You are a most wonderful addition to my life. You mean everything to me. I try to thank God enough for your birth, but I don't think I will ever be able to thank Him enough," Itachi spoke as he tried to comfort his once more miserable brother.

Sasuke sniffed. "Really?"

"Of course. I'm sorry that I wasn't back earlier…" Mentally cursing their father for putting Sasuke through such a psychological beating – which wasn't any better than a physical one – Itachi hugged the boy, hoping that he would be able to soon relieve him of the bitter aftertaste of the "talk".

Suddenly, a rapt knocking on the door made them both jump.

"Sasuke! Didn't you hear your mother? How often must she call you before you decide to come too?!"

Instantly recognizing that voice, Sasuke flinched, not responding to the questions. Itachi whirled around on his knees just in time to see the door open.

"Sasu–" Fugaku began, but silenced as soon as he spotted Itachi kneeling beside the tub. His older son's eyes were red with the Sharingan as he looked daggers at him. "…Itachi," he grunted in grim acknowledgment, looking back and forth between the two brothers. The situation vaguely reminded him of the one when they had come home a few days ago.

"Hurry up before the food gets cold," he ordered gruffly, then retreated again.

Once they were alone again, Itachi took a deep breath, and his eyes became black again. But his anger remained.

"Otouto, I'll get you something to wear. I'll be right back."

"Okay, nii-san," Sasuke replied, almost wanting to shiver when he saw that dark look on his sibling's face. He had never seen Itachi this angry up close before…

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Dinner was a highly tense ordeal. Itachi refused to even look at his father, and Sasuke kept fidgeting nervously as he felt the man's piercing, scrutinizing stares that were first directed at him, then at Itachi, then at him again. Fugaku narrowed his eyes time and time again, as if he were putting two and two together and discovering a truth he didn't like. Mikoto was the only one who made occasional attempts to strike up conversations so the awful silence wouldn't last throughout the entire meal. Sasuke was the only one who truly participated in them.

Nobody slept particularly well that night; they were either still too troubled by the uncomfortable atmosphere at the dinner table, or there were simply too many thoughts that occupied their minds. By daybreak, Itachi had slept little more than a wink and was watching how the sun's first rays were slowly lighting up his room when a face suddenly appeared at his window; a face that wore a cheery smile, quite the contrary to his frown.

"Good morning, Itachi!"

The prodigy looked to the window, and the ghost of a relieved smile flitted across his face.

"Good morning, Shisui."

The other Uchiha crossed his arms on the windowsill and rested his chin on them. He looked thoughtful. "You look like you have a lot on your mind."

"Indeed; I do. Can I talk to you? Or do you already have to be on your way again?"

"No, I can spare the time and will gladly do so. Well, what's the problem?"

"Not here," Itachi simply said. "I'd rather discuss it somewhere else."

"Oh? Okay…" Shisui agreed with a shrug and stepped back, giving Itachi room to climb through the window. In the new day's first light, they walked along the still empty streets of the Uchiha district, heading for the place they always went to when they talked about things.

* * *

I'd like to thank everyone for faving/alerting/reviewing this stoy! And many thanks to the anonymous reviewers too! You made me very happy!

I hope I can type up the next chapter by next weekend, but I won't make any promises because I bought the new book by Stephen King, and knowing him and his work, it will probably captivate me, so I might be a bit... er, **distracted** at times. ;) But it's been a while since I've read a decent book, so I think it would do me good to catch up on doing some reading again.

Lots of hugs to my favorite peeps,

_devotedtodreams_


	6. Talk it over and let go

Yay, I met my deadline! _(cheers)_ And to think that I re-wrote this thing three or four times until I was finally satisfied... I hope it will satisfy you as well! It was rather fun to write about Shisui - we don't know much about him, so it can only be considered a natural liberty that we can almost make up whatever we want! The way I described him doesn't really fit the way he looks on this really hot pic on DeviantArt (there are few pictures of him, but there are two or three on which he looks really good! _(drools)_), but oh well.

Hope you'll enjoy reading again, my friends!

* * *

Shisui and Itachi remained silent until they had left the Uchiha district. It was a very beautiful morning, like one from a perfect, idyllic scene: the rising sun bestowed an orange glow upon Konohagakure, the air was refreshingly cool and early birds were chirping. Itachi wondered if nature was mocking him or likewise by being quite the opposite of how he was feeling. He wasn't cranky, no; he was very troubled, though. His thoughts were jumping back and forth restlessly. Dammit, he sure hated feeling like this; but prodigy or not, people often tended to forget that Itachi was still a teenager, even if he often acted quite mature for his age.

While they walked, Shisui occasionally cast glances at his friend, and because they were indeed very close, he could tell that the other was troubled. It was not as if he believed that Itachi could never be like this – he had just never seen that look so intensively before. He supposed that Itachi was angry and nervous.

"Guess this can't really be called a good morning, huh?" he asked as they reached a stream. When in doubt, converse casually if you can – he stayed true to his guidelines.

"I'm not cranky," Itachi replied defiantly.

"I never said you were," Shisui retorted instantly. "I just said that what might look like a good morning to some might not look like that to others."

"I can tell that for **you**, it really is a good morning," Itachi deadpanned.

"Correct. Anyway, how are things at your place? Man, when was I there last? …Sasuke's fifth birthday, maybe? Hey, how is **he** doing?"

"Fine…"

"…You've sounded more confident in the past. Is he **really** fine?" Shisui asked, sounding dead serious.

Knowing that it was pointless to lie to Shisui – at least, when it was about such almost petty things (compared to a scheme of slaughter) – Itachi admitted: "Not really. Chichi is being very hard on him, and even a blind man would see that it is unjustified."

"Still pushing him to become just like you, then?" the older Uchiha concluded. Upon receiving a nod in response, he sighed. "One has to feel sorry for the little guy. I wonder what it would take to make Fugaku-san realize that even though Sasuke may not have been gifted with a talent like yours, he still is by far a son to be proud of."

"Sasuke seems to be abandoning his hopes of gaining chichi's respect. He told me so. But maybe that would be for the best, for I believe that chichi might not realize that he is in the wrong until the very end," Itachi muttered darkly. For not the first time during the past few days, the thought of his father being gone from the world and thus unable to tantalize Sasuke anymore seemed **very** appealing to Itachi. And whenever that happened, he heard that voice in his head again, cackling evilly. Madara was laughing like someone who was filled with glee to see that their poison was taking hold.

"But just because Sasuke doesn't have his respect **now** doesn't necessarily mean that he never will. You've got all your lives ahead of you," Shisui pointed out.

'_Au contraire, __my friend. __Au contraire.' _"The future is uncertain, just like yesterday," Itachi spoke. Luckily, his voice was far from mirroring what he felt and thought just then.

"Whoa, you're getting philosophical?" Shisui raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Seems like this day is looking up for you after all. Just don't go saying that to the Hyuugas."

"Ah, but don't you think they're rather amusing when they almost trip over their own feet in a desperate attempt to defend their faith in destiny?" Itachi was just an inch away from grinning as well. Aside from Sasuke, Shisui was the only person who had that effect on him.

"Quite. Remember how Susumu-san almost lost it when all we did was say «no» after he asked us if we agreed with his overlong speech about destiny?"

"Unless I lose a lot of brain cells very fast, I doubt I will ever forget that," Itachi mused.

This comment made Shisui release a bark of laughter, which in turn provoked a minute, rather strangled laugh from Itachi. But it was a start.

A couple of minutes later, they reached a lone sakura tree close to the stream. Of course, there were no more blossoms on the tree, but when there were, it was a most beautiful place to be. When the sun was high in the sky, specks of light would shine on the grass where the sunlight pervaded the leafy canopy, but now the light had yet to shine on the grass. Droplets of morning dew clung to the blades while they still lasted.

Quite a few of them got soaked up by the fabric of Shisui's shirt as the Uchiha flopped down to the ground. A content smile had almost fully surfaced on his face when he paused, then rolled over and pulled the hairband out of his hair. Like a black stream, it splayed out on the grass to his side when he rolled onto his back again. He grinned at Itachi and gave the ground a pat, inviting his friend to sit down as well. Like they always did, side by side beneath the canopy.

Successfully suppressing a sigh, Itachi accepted the invitation. Shisui became serious again.

"But back to your father: is that what's bothering you, by any chance?"

Itachi nodded. "It's getting harder and harder for me to see Sasuke suffer so much because of him. I know he hates that it affects me to such an extent, but I will not tolerate anyone hurting my little brother."

"You sure sound like that, too."

"Shisui, I'm serious! I've dreamt of doing far worse things than defying him by means of words. I've even told him that I'd actually fight him if he pushes me too far."

"You'd truly revolt against your own father?!" Shisui sounded somewhat astonished.

"I'd do that and a lot more for Sasuke," Itachi said firmly.

Shisui seemed to consider that shortly, then he replied slowly: "Well, you **have** always loved Sasuke… a lot…"

Itachi didn't say anything, but gave him an intent, meaningful look instead. At first, Shisui just cocked his head in near-confusion, but then his eyes widened a bit.

"…Oh… you mean you love him like **that**? God, Itachi; are you sure?"

The other Uchiha paused, then nodded slowly. Translation: «Pretty much.»

"This is no joking matter, you know."

"Shisui, I put him above everything else."

"That doesn't necessarily –"

"I kiss him and wish it could last forever. I hear him moan with delight and want to hear more." Confession or not, Itachi decided not to talk about the "special dream" he had had just two nights ago. "I want to be the best possible brother for him… and so much more."

"And the whole… brother-on-brother affair…" Shisui trailed off, figuring that Itachi would understand the unfinished question whether or not he was having doubts because they were brothers.

"I just love him, Shisui. I'd be lying to myself if I were to try and deny it."

For a split moment, Shisui looked as if he would dwell upon the subject more, but as if he realized that Itachi momentarily lacked any better explanation for his feelings, he tapped his chin thoughtfully and remarked:

"The way this sounds and the way I understand it, I'd say that's not quite the truth."

"What's not quite the truth?" Itachi inquired suspiciously. He suddenly wondered if it had been wrong of him to entrust his secret to Shisui.

"To simply say you love someone is rather relative. It is a too loosely used term. The same thing goes for hate. To say that you're **in love** with someone is something else, and I think **that's** what you're trying to say," his friend explained with ever-lasting patience, not in the least troubled by Itachi's suspicion.

In love… with Sasuke? Itachi said those words aloud in his mind a couple of times. It did sound good… and considering that he had never been "in love" before whilst being aware of it, assuming that what Shisui said really was correct was his best guess.

"I suppose you're right… But please don't tell anybody. You're the only one who knows about it," Itachi asked of him.

Shisui winked. "Don't worry; my lips are sealed. You know I'd take that secret to my grave if you'd ask me to."

'_How fortunate, because soon he will do just that!'_ the evil voice in his mind spoke, sniggering with glee.

That thought combined with what Shisui had said before severely damaged the illusionary serenity of this time they were spending together: the delusive feeling that this would come to be time and time again. But reality had other plans, and the impact of the inevitable truth made Itachi feel horrible. The sensation came out of the blue. He felt sick to his stomach, and his heart had rarely felt so heavy before.

Why? Well, here he was, looking at his friend who would soon be six feet under, according to the plan. Dead by his very own hands! But kami, he had known Shisui all his life! For as long as he could remember! And before he had been roped into his double-agent role, he had thought that they would be together forever; he regarded Shisui the same way as Sasuke regarded him.

A person one could trust with his life.

"Itachi?"

A role model.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Everything… An older brother, basically.

"Itachi! Oi!"

Blinking as if he had no idea at all where he was and what was going on, Itachi returned to the present only to find Shisui gazing worriedly at him.

"Pardon?"

"You look like someone who has just been sentenced to death. Was it something I said?"

There was a quite awkward pause in which nothing else could be heard but the chirping birds. But neither one of the boys heard them, per se; for them, time was temporarily standing still.

"Have you ever felt as if you were suddenly losing ground?" Itachi finally asked. It was all he could do to keep his voice from shaking, but he couldn't keep it from sounding strained.

Shisui sat up, and he got a very distinctive look on his face, a look Itachi had seen often after the Third Ninja War. His friend's eyes seemed even blacker than usual. People claimed that it was as if he were looking right through them, through every wall, right into their core.

"Itachi, take a deep breath. Everything's alright." His voice had changed too; he sounded like Itachi did when he comforted Sasuke.

If only his words were true! How dearly he wished that everything were alright, but it wasn't! If only someone knew how hard it was to play two different parts, one good part and one bad part, all the while being condemned to keep it a secret. He had always taken special care not to let anyone catch on how taxing the whole ordeal was; but by now Madara knew. And now Shisui did as well, even if he didn't know the true reason for this particular behavior.

The Uchiha in question inched closer to Itachi. Not a single move was made too soon, as if a single hasty movement would scare Itachi off. And slowly, like a human cloak for protection against the pouring rain, Shisui embraced him. He lacked any explanation as to why Itachi was stiff as a poker.

But their bodies hadn't made contact for much more than a few seconds when Itachi wrapped his arms around Shisui, hugging him so tightly that for a moment, the older one of the two feared that he might be facing a serious lack of oxygen soon. In fact, the grip was almost painful – until Sasuke's brother relaxed a bit, though not retreating the fraction of an inch from his place in Shisui's arms.

His cousin felt desperation in that touch, as if this were their final goodbye. The only other times he had gotten hugged like this were back when Itachi had suffered from terrible nightmares after seeing all the death the war had brought upon them. Shisui knew all about that, for he had been the one giving Itachi the most emotional support aside from Mikoto in those hard times. Thinking about that gave him an idea to explain this impetuous reaction.

"Are you worried that things won't go smoothly? That there might even be another war?" he whispered.

Itachi swallowed and forced himself into the role of the Uchihas' ally. The role nobody doubted he was playing. "Konoha won't give in without a fight. And I really don't wish to experience the same things I did years ago…"

"The plan won't be executed before we are not absolutely sure to have gathered all our forces and mobilized our entire strength. And according to the elders, it definitely won't happen this year. Maybe next year, but even that might still be too early."

"Have you ever wondered what would happen if the plan failed?" Itachi asked. His façade was rebuilt again, and not a drop of his impending betrayal seeped out of it.

"Don't see why it shouldn't. Nobody outside of the clan knows that we're planning this… unless one of us is a mole."

"…Yes, that's true. It was a stupid question. Forgive me," Itachi murmured and closed his eyes, breathing in the fresh scent of Shisui's hair, which were even longer than his.

"It's okay to have doubts. In fact, I think that is better than if you're overly confident that something will work. It makes failure more easily acceptable, in case that should occur," Shisui replied.

"Shisui?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for lending me an ear."

"If I could screw them off, I'd lend you one to carry around with you at all times."

Itachi chuckled. "Come on…"

"I know, I know – I'm just kidding. Seriously; I'm glad to help you out. You're my cousin, and even though few actually give a damn about what you're feeling – with all that is expected of you at your age – I do, and I will do anything to make you happy when you're in need of that. Remember that, hmm?"

"How couldn't I? You told me the same thing years ago… and over and over again you've kept your promise, so who would I be to doubt you?" Itachi mused.

"If I think about it long enough, I still hear you screaming because of a nightmare. Of course, that's nothing compared to really hearing it… back then… I swear that all the hairs on my arms and neck were standing on end." Shisui was awfully tempted to shudder at the memory, but for Itachi's sake, he didn't allow that to happen.

"I woke haha up quite a few times, too."

"Don't you go start feeling guilty now. War is never easy for anybody who isn't a sick bastard with a twisted mind, pardon the language."

"No apology needed," was all Itachi said in response.

Shisui moved one of his hands until it had made one large circle in a comforting gesture on Itachi's back, then he gently forced him to lie down until they were looking up at the canopy, almost hip to hip, like on those few precious spring, summer and autumn afternoons they had spent here together. For several minutes, they did absolutely nothing besides listen to the soft noises of the stream and the birds above them, and watching the sky become an even deeper orange before it already began to fade and would soon become the azure blue that the heavens sported on beautiful days.

Shisui was the one who broke the silence. "So, I hope I'm not crossing any lines by asking or anything, but… how did it happen between you and Sasuke? I mean, you've always loved him, but it's only now that you spoke of kissing and such…"

Itachi, who had relaxed quite remarkably during the interlude of silence, couldn't resist smiling at the thought of his little brother. "Perhaps it has been there all along, but I didn't realize it as of shortly. Remember when we met three days ago, when I was going somewhere with Sasuke? We went to a playground, and there's where I kissed him on the lips for the first time."

"I was the last one to see you before the great happiness ensued, then?"

"Thank God you talked seriously with me before, otherwise I might think you're mocking me," Itachi answered and elbowed him in the ribs. Shisui snorted with laughter and clutched the affected spot. "But basically, yes."

"I bet he's even cuter now – unless he doesn't blush when he's around you, which I would find a tad bit improbable. I really should pay you a visit sometime again," Shisui decided.

"If you can find the time," Itachi interjected.

"True, true… but I will find some. One way or another, I will. You'll have to give my regards to Sasuke."

"Sure. I wonder if he has already woken up… chichi insists that one shouldn't waste daylight by spending half the morning lying in bed."

Shisui rolled his eyes. "What's wrong with that? I do it when I can…"

"Say that to chichi and you'd completely disrupt the impression he has of you, that you are flawless," Itachi warned him.

"Flawless? **Me**? Sheesh… I hope you won't be offended, but I think your father, like many others, doesn't bother to look past the end of his nose. Me, flawless… that's a good one." Shisui was actually snickering. Like Itachi, he too was a prodigy, yet his upbringing hadn't been as strict as Itachi's, so he tended to act carefree and at ease more often than his cousin. Occasionally, Itachi envied him for that, but with Fugaku watching over him like a hawk, what was he to do?

"Name me one flaw, mister," Itachi challenged him with a smirk.

"That's easy: I'm late. Not notoriously late, but often enough, if you ask my superiors. But hey, growing boys need their sleep." Having dropped all formality and most of his seriousness so he could savor these moments better, Shisui winked and stuck out his tongue as well.

Itachi laughed shortly, then sighed, though looking happy as he did so. "You know, in moments like this, I actually admire you. I can't let go the way you can…"

"Nonsense. One just needs to know which buttons to push. You wanna let go? Let the expert handle this!"

And without further warning, Shisui rolled over and pinned Itachi down by the legs, preventing his friend from escaping. Then he swiftly began to poke and prod Itachi, even slipping his fingers under the other's shirt to let them dance across his skin like crawling insects. Anyone who would have stumbled upon them just then would have gotten their hearing and eyesight checked, for Itachi quickly dissolved into a laughing fit. Not his typical smirking or short laughs that only lasted seconds at best, but genuine laughter that came from deep inside. It was remarkable how much of a change that made in his appearance. Shisui liked to see him like this, since it only happened seldom and therefore was a real treat.

"Shisui, stop! Hahahahahaha! Oh God, my ribs… I can't breathe…!" Itachi struggled to say. It wasn't quite easy to understand him, however, given that laughter drowned out most of his attempts to say something properly.

Needless to say, Shisui was laughing too. "Already? You used to last longer! Wait, I think I missed a spot! And here! And here!"

Itachi laughed louder still, but a few more breathless requests for mercy later, Shisui finally complied and rolled off of him. Panting heavily and pink – almost red – in their faces, the two boys lay beside each other, letting the last coolness of the morning's air soothe their burning cheeks.

"Merciful heavens… has anyone ever told you that you'd probably be an A-class torturer?" Itachi asked breathlessly.

"No… but thanks for pointing that out. I'll keep it in mind… if I'd ever have to change my job," Shisui answered.

"Despite the fact that I think I've broken a couple of ribs from laughing so hard, I do wish to thank you. I think this actually did me well," Itachi said when they had more or less caught their breaths again.

"I'll say. It's quite a change from the cranky guy I took a walk with earlier," Shisui teased.

"I wasn't cranky!" Itachi protested, though looking amused contrarily to before.

"Keep telling yourself that…"

They continued to debate for a while whether or not Itachi had been cranky, then took a few more moments to relax and fully recover from what had eventually almost become a play-fight in the end. Half the morning had passed when they finally decided to part company.

"Well, I guess this is it. Tell your parents I say hello. And give Sasuke one of my trademark pinches, okay?" Shisui asked of him when they were back at the gates to the Uchiha district again.

"You know Sasuke hates it when you do that, don't you?" Itachi shot back.

"Hate is a loosely used term, remember? Tell him that if you do it now, I won't do it the next time I visit," Shisui suggested with a casual shrug.

"I think that's a bargain he might just agree to," Itachi said thoughtfully.

"Great. I'm glad we could soothe your worries a bit. Well, see you around, Itachi. And hold your head up!" Shisui reminded him as they briefly shook hands while hugging too.

"I will. And thanks again, Shisui," Itachi replied gratefully before they parted for good.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

At home, he was eagerly-awaited: he had only just appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, attempting to apologize for having run off again, when a black blur crashed into him, happily crying his name. The low table shook, and half the cereal and milk spilled out of the bowl because Sasuke had stood up in such a hurry. Softly laughing as she shook her head, Mikoto proceeded to clean up the mess her younger son had made. The welcoming scene made up well for it, though.

"Itachi! You're still here! I'm so glad!" Sasuke chirped. As usual when he could barely contain his happiness due to seeing his brother again, the boy nuzzled the elder's stomach and squeezed him as tightly as he could.

"Shisui stopped by, so I went to have a little talk with him. He says hello, by the way, okasan," he told his mother.

"How lovely. I hope he will visit us again sometime," Mikoto replied with a smile.

"He said he'd find a way, so you can count on that. Oh, and he told me to give **you** a very special hello, otouto," he told Sasuke.

"Really?" the younger Uchiha asked excitedly.

Itachi nodded and pinched Sasuke's rosy cheek in Shisui's distinctively playful way.

"Ack! I should have known!" Sasuke squirmed to escape, yet he was giggling.

Mikoto waited until Itachi had given Sasuke's hair yet another one of his fond ruffles, then spoke up: "Itachi, dear, Misaki-chan was here, and she said that you have a day off. But tomorrow you should meet up again."

"Ah. Thank you for telling me that, okasan. So, Sasuke, is there anything you want to do?" Itachi inquired.

A tirade of suggestions was instantly provided by the younger Uchiha, who was practically spazzing as he dragged his older brother back outside. His cereal stayed behind, completely forgotten. At least, it was completely forgotten until Mikoto disposed of it.

* * *

Sorry about all these names that were so randomly picked, but what else is there to do for minor characters? Oh, and before I forget: that one line, "Tomorrow's uncertain, just like yesterday" is actually part of the lyrics of a Vaya Con Dios song ("Time Flies"), so I don't own that!

Hope you liked it, and again thanks to everyone who reviewed and stuff! Hugs and cookies for all of you! :)

(Oh, and just so you'll be warned: I might be doing a timeskip soon, because I almost can't bear waiting to write about Christmas anymore! Right now, I'd say it's the end of August or so - in the story, of course...)


	7. Secrets and suspense

I've finally managed to finish chapter 7... you see, I was wondering if I should skip to the Christmas part or stick to my original plans. I almost went fast-forward to Christmas, but still I ended up practically writing two continuations at the same time, and that didn't work for me. So there will be one more chapte before it will be Christmas time in Konoha. I just hope Christmas won't actually be over by the time I get that far... ;)

Also, if you might think that there isn't enough fluff in this chapter: don't worry, there will be plenty more in the Christmas part. I promise.

Before I shut up, I'd just like to quickly thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter! You're the best, guys! :)

* * *

"So, Shisui, have you found out anything?"

"No, Takeshi-sama."

"He didn't say anything that sounded suspicious?"

"_Have you ever felt as if you were suddenly losing ground?"_

"…No," Shisui answered, praying that his voice sounded as firm as he wanted it to be. He hated this situation – loathed it, in fact, so he wasn't using that term loosely at all. He hadn't given an entirely truthful answer, hoping to buy his cousin some more time; with Fugaku pressing on about his suspicion that Itachi was hiding something from them, it was quickly becoming tight for his firstborn son. Shisui didn't know what he would do if Itachi would really turn out to be a mole, a spy. He didn't even want to begin to imagine how he would react, not to mention the other Uchihas. The way Fugaku sounded when he loudly pictured that possible outcome, Itachi could be glad if they merely lynched him – treasured prodigy or not. Shisui bowed his head.

'_Please, Itachi… don't let them be right…!'_

"Fugaku-san, are you sure that this might be Itachi-san's secret? I don't want to have people spied on for nothing," Takeshi said, turning to one of the other men in the secret meeting room of the Uchihas.

"What else would it be?" Fugaku asked back, sounding rather grumpy. Without waiting for an answer, he told Shisui: "Seeing results after just two days would be a bit surprising, much as I long for confirmation. Itachi only very rarely makes mistakes, and even then one might oversee or not notice them if such details aren't paid close attention to. That is why I will continue to remind you to listen carefully to everything he says and to closely observe his behavior."

'_He sounds as if Itachi is a madman and would go on a rampage without warning__. Or like he is a mere animal, a new species I must observe to learn more about it,'_ Shisui thought. He was beginning to see why Fugaku seemed to be the main cause for Itachi's troubles.

"We're counting on you, Shisui. Your chances of revealing any truth are higher than even mine."

"I understand, Fugaku-san."

"You may go now," Takeshi said.

And Shisui left, feeling more torn than ever about the whole ordeal. Itachi would probably throw a fit if he knew what his father was up to – Shisui thought back on that hateful glitter in his cousin's eyes when they had spoken about the cause of Sasuke's hardship. But if Itachi really would intend to backstab them, certain measures would have to be taken in order to prevent that from happening. If someone had asked Shisui to picture his opinion just then, he would have drawn the yin-yang symbol.

Fugaku's mental state could most probably be considered even worse: he was already so far as to hope that his son was an undercover spy instead of the other possibility, his most recent suspicion. It was like a rat that gnawed hungrily at the perfect image of the prodigy until it would be completely disfigured. The mere thought disgusted him: the thought that his sons saw more in each other than they were supposed to. That they were attracted to each other in a way that completely went against everything he had been raised to believe in.

His stomach churned. Loudly, too.

"Do you want a cup of tea, Fugaku-san?" Takeshi asked, eying the chief of the police.

"I don't think tea will do it this time," Fugaku muttered, shaking his head.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"This is so pointless…" A loud sigh. "Nii-san, I give up! I can't find you! I bet you changed your hiding place a million times by now!" Sasuke declared loudly, adding a slight (though fake) whine to his voice. As soon as he stopped speaking, he pricked up his ears attentively, hoping that his brother would give himself away.

Then again, he should have guessed that that semi-ingenious plan couldn't possibly be successful, as his common sense reminded him after half a minute of silence: they were talking about his brother. The prodigy! The one who didn't slip up like that! **Sasuke** might have given himself away, had the tables been turned, but he was still waiting in vain for his sibling to blow his cover.

Grumbling a bit, wishing that Itachi wouldn't be quite so smart for once, Sasuke trudged off again in search of him. **Why** had he insisted on playing hide-and-seek in an area with lots of trees…?!

Suddenly, he spotted something that made his heart leap: on the other side of a tree with a particularly thick trunk, Itachi was lying on his back in the shade, relaxing with his eyes closed. For all Sasuke knew, he could be dozing. The younger Uchiha rubbed his hands gleefully. What a priceless opportunity! If he could sneak up and pounce on him…! The mere thought of him ambushing a skilled ninja like his brother made Sasuke's confidence take flight and soar to the stars and beyond.

Keeping close to the ground, he crept closer, remaining unnoticed by the elder. Sasuke's breath hitched as he got closer and closer – he couldn't believe his plan was working. Kami was probably in high spirits today.

'_Watch out, aniki… here I come!'_ he thought as he slowly stood up, every movement being slow and perfectly noiseless. He leaned against the side of the trunk and peered around it. Itachi still hadn't noticed him approaching. It was now or never!

"Found you, nii-san!" Sasuke cried, darting around the trunk and tackling his unsuspecting brother. Laughing at the surprised look in those widened onyx eyes, Sasuke proceeded to crawl onto the other's stomach – an ideal position from which he would be able to steal a kiss. A second later, that was exactly what he did–

Without warning, Itachi disappeared, dissolving into a cloud of smoke, and before Sasuke could draw back and utter a cry of surprise, he found himself nearly smooching with a log.

"Eeeeeeeeeeww!" Making a face and spluttering loudly, Sasuke tossed the log away. If it could have shed a tear, it probably would have. Sasuke threw up his hands in a defeated, surrendering gesture.

"Itachi, I give up! Just tell me where you are already!" There was no immediate answer. "I mean it, honestly! Where are you?!"

"There's no need to sound so anxious, otouto; I'm right here," a voice said from directly above him.

Jumping, Sasuke threw back his head to find Itachi hanging upside-down from a branch. If he jumped up, he would most likely be able to grab the end of the dangling ponytail.

"Aniki! Were you there all the time?!"

"Pretty much. I saw that you made a new friend. You could have at least introduced me to him before you chucked him away," Itachi teased.

"That would be introducing you to **it**, not **him**," Sasuke retorted, putting his hands on his hips. "Objects aren't people, even if it did look like you at first."

"Well-observed, Sasuke. The way you pounced on that log almost made me jealous for a moment."

"It did?" Grinning deviously, Sasuke looked in the direction in which he had thrown the deceptive log. "Maybe I should consider bringing it back…"

"Why go for a substitute when you could have the real deal instead?" Itachi asked as he went back to standing upright on the branch again in one fluid movement.

Sasuke watched that very intently; he had always admired his brother's grace. He could imagine that it was very handy in battle. "Come on down, then. I think you've horsed around long enough."

"As you wish, otouto. But this is the end of you calling the shots," Itachi warned him and left his perch up in the tree. No sooner did he have grass beneath his feet again when Sasuke practically bowled him over in an over-enthusiastic glomp.

Quick reflexes allowed Itachi to break their little fall, and when he was lying on his back again, he could see Sasuke's happily smiling face for one second before his eyes closed as they kissed – but that was all the time he needed to get carried away by the boy's unreached innocence and joy. Especially in that respect, Sasuke was everything he sometimes wanted to be. Had he once been like that too…? Itachi couldn't remember. He chose to push those musings aside for now, however, leaving himself with nothing else but his love and admiration for Sasuke.

Unbeknownst to the brothers, they were being watched. Madara narrowed his eyes, not liking what he saw. This was far from putting distance between him and Sasuke, like Itachi should be doing. It displeased him to see that Itachi had taken his rather sarcastic advice seriously; his advice to «go home and frolic with his little brother». Something needed to be done to make Itachi return to the harsh reality. And Madara could already think of someone who wouldn't hesitate to help him. Smirking at this idea, he left the area, heading for the police headquarters.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Summer finally came to an end and made way for fall, and still Fugaku found that his most dreaded suspicion was ever-present. To make matters worse, one fine afternoon, a man he didn't even know held him up after work and casually commented on the «very close relationship» his sons were having.

"I don't know if it's just a special game of theirs, but I have rarely before seen siblings interact like that," he had said.

"What do you mean, «like that»?" Fugaku had asked suspiciously.

"Why, kissing, Fugaku-san. And not just a peck on the cheek either," the rather surprised-sounding answer had been. Madara was very skilled at playing all sorts of parts.

Fugaku hadn't even been able to reply – he had immediately gone home to think of even more ways to occupy Itachi, preferably without leaving Sasuke many opportunities to spend much time with him.

Pretty soon, Itachi seemed to have less free time than ever. He was gone almost every day, often enough not even returning for several days straight. Sasuke knew better than to question the missions themselves, yet he couldn't help but wish that he could have his brother all to himself just for half a day. But it seemed as if that were too much to ask for.

"You have to go again, nii-san?" he asked sadly when Itachi was getting ready to leave after having returned from a one-week-mission just the other evening.

"I'm sorry, otouto, but duty calls. You will experience the same thing soon enough too," Itachi answered as he put on his shoes. All the same, the look in Sasuke's eyes pained him. He had just stood up and was about to give Sasuke a proper goodbye hug – and maybe a kiss too, why not? – when Fugaku strode into view. Somehow, he always did when Itachi was about to leave. Of course, his older son hadn't failed to notice this and was beginning to become suspicious of that fact.

"Don't you be late now, Itachi," he warned the older boy.

Itachi took notice of the short, but disapproving glance Fugaku shot at Sasuke (who had turned his back on him and therefore didn't see that). "You know I am rarely late, otosan," he calmly replied.

"I have my reasons for reminding you every now and then. Not only patience is a virtue, but punctuality as well."

"I am aware of that. I shall be back," Itachi told him, keeping his voice as expressionless as his stare.

"Let him go now, Sasuke. Go do something constructive," Fugaku suggested, grabbing Sasuke by the shoulders rather roughly and dragging him away. Sasuke initiated minor protest, but was still too intimidated by his father to actually wrench himself out of his grasp. He strained to look back at Itachi before he would be steered around the corner.

It was fortunate that he did that, for he saw Itachi move his lips, though not uttering a single sound:

"_Come outside when you can."_

Sasuke felt how his heart started beating faster, and no sooner had his father let go of him in the living room when he ran off to his room to fetch a few shuriken.

"I'll go practice some more, otosan," he said hurriedly.

"It's about time," Fugaku muttered.

When Sasuke passed the kitchen, he quickly informed his mother as well: "I'll be outside, okasan! Just throwing some shuriken…"

"Oh… alright. Have fun," Mikoto answered, but she already heard the door open and close. It sure sounded like Sasuke was in a hurry. She sighed and guessed that she already knew whose idea that had been.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had only just closed the door when he spotted Itachi waiting beside it, casually leaning against the wall.

"Aniki!" The shuriken fell to the floor with a clatter, and Sasuke flung his arms around his brother's waist.

"Ssh, Sasuke… if chichi knew that I am still here…" Itachi chuckled after his voice trailed off.

"He can say what he wants; it won't change anything about the fact that I wish you'd never have to go again. I wish I could turn back time," Sasuke said wistfully, digging his fingers into Itachi's shirt.

"Why so, otouto?" Itachi asked softly, comfortingly rubbing his back.

"So I could relive those days… you know, when we… when we kissed for the first time… and… kissed some more…" Sasuke whispered, blushing at the memories of moments in which he had been totally overwhelmed with his body craving Itachi, making him feel like he had never felt before.

"I know. They passed by so quickly, even though they seemed to last forever at those points in time," Itachi agreed. "Sometimes you can savor them all you want, but it won't keep you from wishing to get them back."

"I miss you more than ever, nii-san."

"I'm afraid that your longing won't lessen, because once I'll join the ANBU, there will be even less time we can spend together. That is why we should enjoy it whenever we can. And in order to make the most of it, I'd like to make a suggestion, a secret deal of ours: when I must leave again, why don't you follow me shortly thereafter so we can say goodbye like this?"

Sasuke's eyes lit up, and that was the only answer Itachi needed; satisfied, he bent down until he could make their goodbye complete by giving Sasuke a most tender kiss. The situation reminded him of that of desperate, forbidden lovers from one of those sappy love stories – not that **he** ever read those, but his female teammate Misaki did, and she rarely could resist filling them in on all the gooey details. She was plenty talented, but when it came to love, she was building castles in the air.

Before the temptation to delay himself any longer would become stronger, Itachi ended the kiss, though he clearly felt how Sasuke did his very best to keep the touch going as long as possible. It would become a secret little ritual of theirs, a way of expressing their love for each other without letting their father get wind of their true relationship – because as Itachi told Sasuke repeatedly, especially Fugaku would have no understanding for it at all. And no matter how hard it was to keep such big secrets, especially for children, there was no way around it in cases like this.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x _(timeskip)_

One night, at the beginning of November, Sasuke woke up to find that he was sweating all over and breathing in hurried, strangled gasps. Without him wanting to remember it, the dream he had just had replayed itself in his mind. Sasuke whimpered and clutched his covers as if they were a life line. He closed his eyes tightly, trying with all his might to banish the dream from his thoughts. Like most other bad dreams he had had so far, it refused to leave him alone, however, and that left Sasuke with two options: stay in bed within the darkness of his room and try to fall asleep again (with the most minimal chances of that happening) or seek solace like he hadn't done in quite a while.

Quickly making his choice as one of the most horrible images of his dream popped up in his mind, Sasuke got out of bed, clutching one of his most prized possessions: a pillow on which Mikoto had stitched his name in a corner (as a 1st birthday present). Taking deep breaths in the hopes of calming down again, he crept out into the hallway, though first peering up and down it, as if fearing to get attacked. When the shadows remained unmoving and no unusual sounds could be heard, Sasuke proceeded to pick his way through the darkness.

He had just reached the bathroom (which was a couple of steps away from Itachi's room) when the sound of a door being slid open reached his ears. His breath hitched, and very slowly, he turned around, his eyes wide with fear.

The door to his parents' bedroom was open, and the shadow that had emerged from it was an almost equally unwelcome sight like his nightmare: Fugaku. Hastily, Sasuke shied away from the approaching man until he bumped against the wall. He froze and held his breath, hoping that the shadows would keep him hidden. Luckily, his pajamas were black… his pillow, on the other hand, was white, so he tried to hide it behind him. His heart seemed to be pounding as Fugaku came ever closer – if his father caught him wandering around the house «just because of a silly figment of his imagination», there was a high probability that he might end up getting taught a lesson. After all, six-year-olds weren't supposed to react to dreams like that… right?

'_Please don't notice me… please don't…!'_ he begged. Itachi maybe had been able to intervene when he had last been confronted by Fugaku, otherwise one lesson would have become two lessons – but Sasuke couldn't imagine himself doing the same thing. He wasn't as strong as Itachi. Easy prey.

Fortunately, Fugaku was either still half-asleep or very deep in thought, for he didn't notice Sasuke and shuffled right past him, heading for the kitchen.

With his heart still hammering against his ribcage, Sasuke stayed where he was until Fugaku was out of sight before he darted to the door on the other side of the hallway.

Timidly, he reached out and opened the door just enough for him to peek inside. Even though it was fairly dark, he could see a shape moving as Itachi rolled over in his sleep. Not taking his eyes off his brother and already feeling a bit safer by being in his immediate presence, Sasuke silently crossed the room and began to poke and prod the other's hand.

"Itachi! Itachi!" he whispered forcefully.

A few prods later, Itachi stirred and blinked sleepily, granting Sasuke a series of glimpses of eyes that often were as dark and impervious as the night's blackness.

"…Sasuke?" he finally mumbled. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I… I had a bad dream. A very bad dream," Sasuke answered, fidgeting.

Itachi rubbed at one of his eyes and yawned. "It has been a while since you last came to me because of that. Was it that bad?"

Sasuke nodded emphatically. "I dreamed about you."

Itachi shifted, making room for Sasuke, who was shivering slightly. "Come here, otouto. I don't want you to catch a cold."

"I'm not cold, aniki… I'm worried," Sasuke replied as he crawled under the covers which were pre-warmed, courtesy of Itachi, who nonverbally invited him to snuggle against him.

"Because of the dream? What was it about, besides me?" Itachi asked softly, carefully caressing Sasuke's back in a soothing manner.

"Chichi was there… and a few others. Chichi was very angry. He taught you another lesson. Hitting you. And I think… I think I saw you bleed," Sasuke finished, lowering his voice considerably at the last part. Truth to be told, he hadn't only **thought** to see Itachi bleeding; he **had**, and something about it terrified him. He held on tightly to his brother, repeatedly reminding himself that Itachi was here, well and unharmed.

Meanwhile, the older Uchiha had also begun to pet Sasuke's hair and stared into space as he thought about what he had just been told. In his opinion, there were two possibilities as to why he had been in such an imaginary predicament: one, Fugaku had found out about his true feelings for Sasuke – and knowing the man and his values, that wouldn't sit well with him at all; or two, they had somehow found out that he was a spy of the Hokage and actually was betraying them. No status could save one from the consequences of betrayal. Thus was the rule of every clan.

"Sasuke… have you wondered why you dreamed something like that?" Itachi inquired with a somewhat absent-sounding voice.

"Maybe… maybe because of what you told me: that chichi wouldn't be happy if he found out about us. Are you sure he wouldn't accept it, nii-san?"

"Yes, otouto, I'm very sure. All I need to see is the way he looks at us when we're together…"

"I don't ever want to lose you," Sasuke whispered, kissing the spot where Itachi had once sported a bruise. By now, it had long since faded, of course, but Sasuke knew that he would never forget that sight.

"You never will. One way or another, I will always be here for you. **With** you, even," Itachi assured him, breathing a kiss onto his brother's forehead.

"What do you mean, «one way or another»?" Sasuke wondered, eying Itachi almost suspiciously for a moment.

The elder smiled and shook his head. A wisp of sadness flitted across his face, but in the darkness, Sasuke didn't see it in time. "Forget what I said before: I **will** always be here for you. For remember: as much as you need me, I need you as well."

The suspicion disappeared from Sasuke's face, and he smiled as if in relief. "Thank you, nii-san," he murmured, finally getting around to truly relax. "I feel better now…"

"I'm glad to hear that. Sleep now, otouto – and I hope you'll have better dreams this time," Itachi said as he briefly fluffed up Sasuke's own pillow. A content sigh when the boy bedded his head on it told him that that action of his was very much appreciated.

Fairly soon, Sasuke was sound asleep, breathing slowly and evenly with not the slightest trace of discomfort on his face and hugging Itachi's left arm like a stuffed animal. But the older Uchiha stayed awake, simply staring at Sasuke's form and once more indulging himself in the adorability of his little brother. On the bedside table lay his alarm clock, which he had removed from beneath his pillow when Sasuke had almost fallen asleep.

Exactly how long he had been staring at Sasuke, Itachi couldn't say at first, but it felt as if he had only been doing so for about five minutes when a tapping noise could be heard from his window. Knitting his brows, Itachi rolled over carefully as not to disturb Sasuke. At the sight of his nightly visitor, he pursed his lips, but then cautiously made Sasuke let go of his arm so he could go open the window.

"Already awake, I see," Madara commented airily. "Did the brat wake you up?"

"He's not a brat. Do not call Sasuke names in my presence!" Itachi hissed.

"Alright, alright… geez. So, are you ready, then?"

"Just give me a moment." Itachi went to his desk and quickly wrote a short note which he deposited on his pillow. Tenderly, he caressed Sasuke's cheek and ran his fingers through the spiky hair before donning some dark clothes and a cloak to protect him from the coldness of the night.

"Let's roll," Madara announced when the prodigy climbed out the window and landed next to him on ground, silent as a cat.

"Hn," Itachi grunted, and together they slipped away, blending in perfectly with the darkness.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

They journeyed in dead silence until they had put a considerable amount of distance between them and the village. Once the silence was broken, Madara did most of the talking, which mostly revolved around the upcoming massacre. Itachi's responses were quite monosyllabic. Eventually, Madara changed the subject and repeatedly reminded Itachi to remember the path they were taking.

"After all, this will be the way you will go after our plan is executed."

"The path to my new home," Itachi concluded dryly.

"Your opinion on the whole ordeal is sure to improve quite a bit after I've introduced you to them. Just you wait and see," Madara smirked. Itachi didn't give a reply.

By daybreak, they had left Fire Country behind them and were in a stretch of land that had no name. They had gone beyond the Valley of the End, but hadn't actually been to that historical place. Ah hour or two later, Madara declared that they had reached their destination and led Itachi into what looked like a cave from the outside, but turned out to be quite homely on the inside. The two Uchihas walked down several dark corridors, passing a couple of doors along the way but never seeing anyone. Madara stopped at a door on which a thinly framed portrait hung: it featured a crimson kanji that read «Leader».

"Wait here," he instructed Itachi, then knocked twice before stepping into the room a moment later.

Itachi did as he was told and began to observe his immediate surroundings more closely from where he stood. However, because the corridor was so dark, there wasn't all that much to see. Suddenly, Itachi pricked up his ears – was that a voice he was hearing? He listened attentively… and sure enough, he was right. In fact, it sounded like a couple of voices mixed together. Before he could really make out what was being said, the door behind him opened again, and Madara appeared.

"Come in, Itachi."

Shifting his attention from the voices to his temporary partner-in-crime, Itachi entered the room to find a desk on which multiple stacks of paperwork lay. It reminded him somewhat of the Hokage's office. A man was sitting behind the desk, a man with auburn hair and orange eyes. And a hell of a lot of piercings, as one could impossibly oversee. The man's face was as impassive as Itachi's own currently was.

Madara closed the door, took his place beside Itachi and gestured to the man.

"Itachi, this is the leader of the Akatsuki."

* * *

It could have been better, I admit that, but oh well. I hope it wasn't a waste of your time... However, I'd still like to know what you think, so do feel free to review! And I hope you all had a good first Sunday in Advent!

_devotedtodreams_ aka _Mujitsu-chan_


	8. Recruitment and a mistaken identity

Last chapter before it's Christmas - in the story, that is ;) I'll tell you beforehand that I like the way this started out, but am totally unhappy with the ending. So as far as I'm concerned, I think a warning for a crappy ending is appropriate. But you can decide in the end if this was necessary or not.

Furthermore, I might change one of the character's names - the one I used is already the name of an anime character, but since I suck at thinking these up, it shall do for now. Many extra thanks to **SkywardShadow** for helping me out with this issue!

**Warning:** contains OOC-ness, especially in terms of the Akatsuki! And if anyone has a problem with it... I don't care, because I totally dig Akatsuki OOC-ness! :p _(lol)_

* * *

For a moment, Itachi and the leader just stared at each other levelly. Madara let it happen; he knew that Itachi had been raised not to do anything stupid in situations like this. And sure enough: Itachi bowed shortly and said:

"My name is Itachi Uchiha."

The pierced man leaned back in his chair a bit and sized Itachi up, taking his time yet not procrastinating in the slightest. "So, you are the infamous prodigy of the Uchiha clan… and you wish to join the Akatsuki. Surely you are aware that I don't randomly choose new members, even if they have a notorious reputation like yours."

"I shall prove myself if that is what you wish," Itachi replied.

The leader, who called himself Pein but rarely allowed someone to address him like that, fixed his gaze on Madara.

"Eleven years old, you said?" he inquired.

"Yes. And he will join the ANBU Black Ops when he is twelve or thirteen."

"Hmm… that is indeed rather impressive…"

The situation faintly reminded Itachi of a market, a bazaar, and he was the valuable good someone was trying to sell.

Impassively, he watched as the two men discussed some more things, particularly Itachi's skills and style. Pein occasionally asked Itachi a question or two, and the prodigy always answered promptly and in his characteristic, terse manner.

Finally, Pein stood up. "I will introduce you to the other members now. Follow me."

Itachi did, but as they left the room, he noticed that Madara was staying behind, leaning against the desk as if it were his and smirking. Vaguely, Itachi wondered why he didn't accompany them, given the fact that he couldn't possibly have met Pein for the first time – and probably not the second, either.

As they briskly walked down the corridors, Itachi took special notice of Pein's chakra; he didn't know anything about him except that he was the leader of the Akatsuki, but it was clear that he was exceptionally powerful. Itachi hadn't yet met someone with such a high chakra level when they weren't even fighting. It was very formidable.

They must have almost reached the entrance again when Pein turned to the right and opened a slightly ajar door. Behind it was a room that was almost as dark as the corridor.

"Why is it so dark in here? There **is** a reason why we have electricity," Pein said, sounding annoyed as he entered the room.

"We already use enough of it. Besides, we must keep a balanced budget," someone answered. Seven figures were sitting on chairs and the sofa. It was too dark to clearly make out their faces.

"Let there be light already!" Pein snapped.

Whoever had spoken before grumbled a bit while someone else reached out and turned on a floor lamp. At least it was somewhat brighter now…

"I'd like to introduce you to someone who will most likely join our organization very soon. Since we are one person short, thanks to Zetsu –"

"He was dead! I swear!"

"Keep telling yourself that…" another member argued.

"Oh, come on! You said he was dead yourself!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!** He sure was tasty…**"

"Enough!" Pein interrupted loudly, and the two squabblers silenced immediately. For some reason, however, Itachi felt as if that silence wouldn't last very long.

"As I was saying…" Pein glared at them. "Once more, we shall be nine. This is Itachi Uchiha." He gestured to Itachi, who had stopped one step short of Pein. On cue, he stepped forward, feeling seven pairs of eyes settle on him. He slowly looked around at those who called themselves the Akatsuki and quickly drew a first conclusion: aside from one woman, everyone was – or **seemed** to be – male. And they were a rather strange bunch, a genuine motley crew.

Pein then proceeded to introduce them one by one in a rather unceremonious fashion.

"Zetsu, Sasori, Orochimaru, Kisame, Konan, Kakuzu and Nanashi."

A guy with a Venus Flytrap surrounding his head, one half of which was black and the other white. **Possibly** schizophrenic.

Someone who appeared to be barely older than him and whose face was completely unreadable. At least at the moment, his stare was as empty as that of a puppet.

Some creep who actually licked his lips seductively when he was introduced – thus revealing a purple tongue that was covered in glistening saliva.

A half-shark, most probably in the literal sense. Gills beneath the eyes, blue skin (and hair), pointy teeth… it all fitted. Better watch out for that one.

The only girl… and she wore a flower in her hair. Plus, she had applied a decent amount of makeup. Thank kami he was a guy – guys didn't have to bother with that. At least, most of them didn't.

Then there was a man who wore a mask, only revealing his emerald eyes. The look in them made Itachi feel even more like a mere object that was only judged by its value.

And finally, a guy who looked so normal than in the midst of all the weirdos that he wasn't even really noticed. Definitely the type that hung around the sidelines.

What a peachy replacement they would be for his family after the massacre, Itachi thought sarcastically. Yet so far, all was good.

But only so far.

"Leader-sama, I thought you said you wouldn't recruit any more women," the shark-man, Kisame, said.

Itachi blinked. Wait; what had he just said?

"Maybe unlike Konan, she'd be willing to go make some extra money, if you know what I mean," Kakuzu added. His eyes seemed to gleam by the mere mentioning of the word «money».

"Ugh, more competition for the bathroom… I don't think I can handle that!" Orochimaru complained.

If they were aiming for him to lose his temper, they were doing a fairly good job; he was slowly but surely becoming a living volcano. Since when was he a girl?! Sure, he had gotten most of his looks from his mother, but what the hell! He blinked again, and this time his eyes opened again only to have turned blood-red in the fraction of a second.

Behind him, Pein rolled his eyes. "I'm surrounded by idiots…" he muttered.

"I think you guys are upsetting her. She looks kinda grim," Zetsu remarked, eying Itachi warily.

"**But look at her! What a feast**!" he contradicted himself right away. Schizophrenic indeed.

Itachi balled his hands to fists and heatedly wondered which one of them he should strangle first. If he had already possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan, they all would have been dead meat by now.

"What d'you think: are her boobs bigger than Konan's? Should I ask her?" Nanashi wondered.

"These cloaks are designed for a reason, you imbecile," Sasori drawled.

"Yeah, but she isn't wearing one like ours… I'd need more light for a better look."

There was something very comical about the situation – at least, that could be said for outsiders. One person in particular sure wasn't enjoying himself, and Pein would almost have gotten a premature demonstration of his skills if it hadn't been for Konan, who chimed in as an angry vein was pulsating on her forehead:

"In case you morons haven't noticed, nothing was said about this character's gender, so I suggest that you take a moment to use your brains properly, even though that could be rather hard for you to do, and ask if we're really dealing with a girl here!"

Everyone stared (almost gawked) at her, and she sat back, crossing her arms and muttering something that sounded suspiciously like: "**Men**…!"

Several glances were exchanged, like a silent questioning of who would sacrifice himself for the team, before Kakuzu took over that duty:

"So, **are** you a female?"

"**No**." It was amazing how much venom could drip from one single word.

"…Would you turn tricks anyway to earn us some extra money?"

Itachi's face darkened even more, making him bear a horrific resemblance to an angry Fugaku.

"What ever happened to the thing called team spirit…?" the masked-nin mused.

"If you are quite finished with clowning around, perhaps we could get back to business," Pein said with the same look parents had when they were about to tell their children that they were grounded.

"Fine…" responded the figurative children who reluctantly promised to be good and were probably fibbing about it anyway.

"Good. Now then, it is time to put his skills to the test –"

"I'll do it!" Orochimaru piped up immediately, raising his hand like a school kid. He looked very eager to get the job – **too** eager, in Itachi's opinion. The sight of the hungry look in those snakelike eyes and the still fresh memory of Orochimaru's first reaction upon getting introduced to him were unsettling for Sasuke's brother. Still keeping his calm, however, he turned to Pein.

"If you don't mind, Leader-sama," he began, using the same salutation like Kisame had, "Since I was told that I would be… **partnered** with someone, I would like to prove myself against him… or her," he added.

A corner of Pein's mouth twitched when Itachi added Konan to the selection of possible opponents (even though he couldn't possibly have known that the blue-haired woman was off-limits to anyone who wasn't Pein), and he answered firmly:

"Indeed, that is very reasonable. And since it would be a shame to lose an unproved talent before it even joined the organization, you and Kisame are to fight. Orochimaru, you are already partnered with Sasori," he reminded the yellow-eyed ninja.

"Aww… I would have liked to have a go at him." Itachi couldn't believe that the man was nearly whining. But he could very well believe that the last statement had been meant in a suggestive, ambiguous way. That among other things screamed for him to keep a generous safety distance between them at all times, if possible.

"I said no. Now go outside and fight. You know the drill," Pein instructed them.

Obediently, the Akatsuki rose from their seats and trooped outside. Some of them were chatting idly, but the atmosphere made Itachi picture them as sharks that were about to smell blood. Speaking of sharks…

"Hey, um… sorry about earlier. You know, me thinking you were a girl and all," Kisame apologized, falling into step with Itachi.

"Next time, perhaps you'll use your eyes and common sense before you open your mouth," Itachi advised him, allowing himself to sound disgruntled.

"Ah well, at least I apologized. Since we will probably be partners soon, how about if we bury that little hatchet, eh?" Cue a grin that showed off perfectly pointed teeth. It looked like the gesture was genuine and not one of the «let's be friends even though I don't really want to» types.

As that thought crossed Itachi's mind, he wondered what Shisui would say. Something casual, perhaps even funny. And as far as Itachi was concerned, that often worked well. Maybe he should give it a shot…

"First I'll show you why you shouldn't mess around with me, **then** we bury the hatchet," he suggested.

"You mean you're gonna kick my ass? Bring it on. And if **I** win… we bury the hatchet anyway."

"Agreed."

"Why don't you get that over with since it won't matter who wins?" Zetsu asked. He was right behind them.

"A deal's a deal," the two shinobi replied in unison. Surprised because of that, they glanced at each other, and while Kisame gave his very toothy smile again, Itachi quickly looked away before he would end up doing the same thing; in his opinion, he had already shown one other side of him, and that was enough for a first meeting.

"**A match made in heaven, I suppose**," Zetsu remarked, once more in that different voice of his.

Again in unison, but this time not noticing it, Kisame and Itachi rolled their eyes.

Meanwhile, they had left the hideout, and the others formed a line of spectators while Itachi and Kisame faced each other and drew their weapons: a huge, impressive sword for the Akatsuki member and a pair of kunai in the hands of a soon-to-be missing-nin.

"This will be interesting… against Samehada, kunai look like chopsticks," Nanashi laughed.

"But we don't know what he can do with them. Let's wait and see how this turns out before we judge people." Not for the first time – and definitely not for the last, either – Konan was their voice of reason. She had also played that role in the past too, so it wasn't all that surprising that Pein had almost insisted on her joining the Akatsuki (for various reasons, of course).

"In other words: never judge a book by its cover," Sasori concluded. Konan nodded. At least once in a while, **somebody** else made sense aside from her and Pein. Currently, the same couldn't be said for the others, however.

"Show him who's boss, Kisame!"

"I thought Leader-sama was the boss…"

"**Yeah, yeah! I meant it figuratively**!"

"Does anybody want to place a bet?"

"10,000 Ryo on the pretty boy!"

"Do you even **have** that money, Orochimaru?!"

"And what the hell; you're already giving him names like **that**?!"

"What? You're always getting on my case, day in, day out…!"

"It's going to be a long day, I can feel it," Pein said with a small sigh.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Itachi hadn't even been gone for two hours yet when Sasuke woke up only to find that he was alone again. Bewildered, he wondered if he had overslept and morning had already broken, but when he glanced at the alarm clock and saw that it was two am and still darkest night outside, he got a queasy feeling. Where was Itachi? Something told him that his brother hadn't merely gone to the bathroom…

It was then that he spotted a folded note on Itachi's pillow. For him. Just as he was about to take it to the desk so he would have some light to read by, the door to the room opened. Sasuke didn't dare to turn around: he knew who had come in. And it wasn't Itachi. He had heard those footsteps earlier on… it was Fugaku.

Although he would have preferred not to move at all, Sasuke figured that he should hide the note, just in case. Reaching out as if he were about to pet a dangerous and hungry beast, also praying that his heart would stop beating so loudly, he took the note and held it tightly against him. Sasuke closed his eyes and waited. He was trapped.

The footsteps stopped, and Sasuke braced himself for a late-night scolding or worse. Instead, Fugaku spoke:

"My son… I wish I knew what you're thinking. And doing. What did I do to make you defy me? Why are you forgetting some of the most important things I taught you?"

Suddenly, a hand touched his hair and slowly, almost tenderly, petted it. Sasuke held his breath as his eyelids fluttered open again. He didn't even blink, fearing to move a single muscle.

"Don't disappoint me. I hope you remember that the weak can be the downfall of the strong, but that such an unnecessary tragedy can be avoided. Don't let the weak pull you down, Itachi. No matter who they are."

Fugaku's cool fingers brushed Sasuke's forehead, which made the boy close his eyes once again. He didn't want to be touched like this; not when his father was mistaking him for Itachi! A new smell had joined the lingering scent of his brother; a smell Sasuke knew from Christmas and New Year's: sake. That must have been what Fugaku was after when he had gone to the kitchen.

Finally, the clumsily fondling fingers left his hair, and a few footsteps later, the door opened and closed, plunging the room into its former silence. Sasuke remained motionless for another moment, then he sat up and looked at the closed door. He thought about what his father had said.

"_The weak can be the downfall of the strong."_

An avoidable tragedy. Was that what he was? Was that the way Fugaku pictured their future if he and Itachi continued to be together, regardless of which sense? Sasuke balled his right hand to a fist and heard a crackling noise. Of course! Itachi's note! How could he have forgotten?! Hastily (but careful not to make any noise), Sasuke climbed out of the bed and went to the desk, where he turned on the lamp.

_«Had to leave on short notice. Don't know when I'll be back. Forgive me. Itachi»_

"In the middle of the night?" Sasuke wondered aloud. He gazed at the window, which was open just a little bit – a habit of Itachi's. Of course he hoped that the elder would return soon – but if that would take a bit longer, Sasuke would accept that as long as his brother was safe and well.

He ended up leaving the note on the desk when he went back to bed, but that didn't stop his thoughts from dwelling on Itachi until he fell asleep again.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Fairly soon, Itachi drew a second conclusion: even though so far, the Akatsuki hadn't acted as seriously as he would have expected an evil organization to, their attitude had made a remarkable change when the fight had begun. They were silent and watched his every move. Itachi didn't mind; he preferred that over hearing them quarrel about bets that had been placed and why Orochimaru had already given him a pet name.

Kisame was one of the strongest opponents he had ever faced – perhaps even **the** strongest. The ease with which he wielded Samehada was very impressive. Since it clearly was a close-range weapon, Itachi focused on attacking from a distance. He had successfully cast two genjutsu on Kisame until now (his specialty, and with the Mangekyou Sharingan, he would become even better at them), but the shark was anything but stupid and had figured out that he needed to avoid looking into Itachi's crimson eyes.

Several times, the swishing noise of Samehada whizzing past his ear sounded too close for Itachi, and he decided that he had to do something about that sword. Perhaps he could have the undisputable advantage if he could separate the sword from its owner.

Using his whole agility, he launched a close-range attack on Kisame. Samehada greeted him, having been swung with immense force, but Itachi narrowly dodged it. Before the blade could come rushing towards his face again, he swiftly aimed a kick at Kisame's legs – and floored the swordsman.

Not wasting a second, Itachi followed that up by ramming his knee onto Kisame's wrist, provoking what sounded remarkably like a yelp from the other, whose hand let go of Samehada before he rolled over.

Itachi seized the opportunity and grabbed the temporarily abandoned weapon. He got as far as leaping away from the shark-man before all of a sudden, he uttered a pained groan. It felt as if someone had driven a dozen spikes or so right through his hands! Hastily, he dropped Samehada and looked at his palms – and sure enough, they were bloody, drenched in dark red blood that gushed out of several gashes. And Itachi wondered: had the **sword** done that to him?! All by itself?

A tremendous impact knocked him off his feet, and the next thing he knew, he was on his back and a blade was pressed against his throat. The white bandages rippled as though something beneath them was alive and moving. Definitely a one-of-a-kind sword. The rest of Itachi's field of vision was taken up by Kisame, who was smirking as if he had planned the whole thing all along. And was that a snicker he had just heard from the sidelines? The Uchiha gritted his teeth and glared in the infamous style of the Uchihas (later, he would perfect it, but all in good time). His hands were throbbing so much that it was plenty painful.

Then, just like that, Kisame removed Samehada from Itachi's neck and stood up; by doing so, his knee left its position where it had been buried in the teen's stomach. Itachi hadn't even really noticed that it was there. Until now.

"Leader-sama, I think now it has been enough. He is very skilled for his age."

"Well done, Kisame," Pein replied. "Then it is decided: Itachi will join us permanently after completing his mission. Now for the paperwork…" he added in a mutter and went back to the hideout. His minions followed, but at a much more leisure pace.

"Pulled the same old trick again, ne, Kisame?"

"Remember how he got Nanashi like that too?"

"That hurt like hell!"

"I don't know what your problem is…"

"**You're** one to talk, Sasori! You're made of freakin' **wood**! No wonder you didn't feel the pain!"

"Hey kid, are you okay?"

Itachi glared at the plant-like member. His hands were bleeding like a stuck pig and he had an ache where a knee of steel had practically dug itself into his stomach. Oh **sure**, he was **okay**…!

"**I'll take that as a no, I guess**," Zetsu concluded with a shrug.

Getting integrated into this group apparently wasn't only a physical challenge, but a psychical one as well. A cannibal, a puppet, a snake, a shark, a penny-pincher, a flower girl, a metal head and a dumbo (albeit a "normal" one). That was how Shisui would describe them; Itachi was sure of that. What had he gotten himself into…?!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It had been raining all day long, so Mikoto wasn't surprised that Sasuke stayed inside. What did surprise her was that he seemed to be more absent than ever – mentally speaking. He wasn't willing to do anything, preferring to pursue whichever thoughts were troubling his mind. Mikoto had given up on trying to engage him in an activity after about a dozen tries.

Surely Itachi wouldn't want him to be worried, but Sasuke just couldn't help it. Not when he had found out that Itachi's teammates were still in Konoha, not knowing anything about a mission of such importance that it required departure in the middle of the night. And a chuunin receiving a one-man mission… Sasuke had never heard of that before. Not even if someone was as talented as Itachi.

The most unsettling thing for Sasuke was Fugaku's reaction to the unexpected absence of his older son – even though it could be considered almost minimal: a mere suspicious narrowing of his eyes and the distinctively grumpy look becoming a scowl. Sasuke remembered his dream and had tried to contain a reaction that would mirror his feelings, another display of weakness that would give Fugaku yet another reason to prefer Itachi over him. He hoped that the dream had really been nothing but a figment of his imagination and not an omen, for instance.

By mid-afternoon, it was raining buckets. Sasuke listened to the rain beating against the window as he lay on his bed. Just before, he had been fiddling with a shuriken until it had ended up getting stuck in the ceiling. Sasuke stared at it remorsefully. Why hadn't it done the same thing under the observant, stern gaze of his father…?

He fidgeted, and that made his thoughts return to an issue that had been bothering him for the past thirty minutes, though mostly subconsciously: the feeling that something was missing. Something else aside from Itachi. Concentrating hard, he knitted his brows, trying to put his finger on the solution. All the while, he stared at the shuriken as if he were attempting to perform telekinesis on it.

Far away, thunder rumbled, and out of the blue, Sasuke realized what was missing: his pillow. In Itachi's room. He had to get it back before Fugaku would get the idea of going into his brother's room again, or else the man might end up patrolling the corridors just to make sure that the youngest Uchiha wouldn't be «acting like a baby».

Determined not to let what little time he could spend alone with Itachi get cut any shorter – unless that would be for the best, for the last thing he wanted to do was cause the possible downfall of his sibling, who was the strong one, after all – Sasuke left his room and headed back to where he had spent the last night. To his wonder, when he opened the door, he found Itachi sitting tailor fashion on his bed, looking at his palms. His long bangs, the foremost ones having come loose once again, prevented anyone from seeing his face just then.

"…Nii-san?" Sasuke said softly, almost unable to believe that the elder was already back. He had expected him to be gone for at least a day or two, considering the obvious importance of the unknown mission.

At the sound of the boy's voice, Itachi lowered his hands and looked towards the door. For a moment, his face was utterly blank before a small smile graced his features. "Otouto…"

"I… I just came to get my pillow…" Sasuke muttered as he approached the bed.

Itachi got a skeptic look as he watched this; he had never seen Sasuke be so awkward before. Something must have happened during his absence – and he would find out what. Silently, he regarded Sasuke as the youngster took the pillow. Their gazes met once or twice, but barely for longer than a second. Sasuke had only just turned away to leave again when Itachi reached out and managed to stop him by grabbing his elbow.

"Sasuke, what's the matter? This is so unlike you."

Instead of giving an immediate answer, Sasuke looked at the hand that was holding him.

"Aniki… what's with your hand? It feels so strange."

"Answer my question first. Please," Itachi insisted.

"Well… when I woke up again, you were gone. I wanted to read your note, but then chichi came in."

"Chichi?" Itachi repeated. Oh kami, no; if Sasuke had been harmed…!

"He thought I was you."

"What? How so? Chichi sees very well, even in the dark."

"I know, but he really thought I was you. He smelled like sake, nii-san," Sasuke explained, wrinkling his nose a bit as he remembered that smell.

'_He didn't… at least, I __**hope**__ he didn't…' _Itachi thought, not liking what he was hearing in the slightest. "Sasuke, come here for a moment." Patiently, Itachi waited until Sasuke had sat down beside him before putting an arm around him, all the while shielding his palms from view so the more important questions would get answered first. "What happened then?" he whispered.

"He talked to me… he said that he's really wondering about you, about what you think and do. Then he told you to avoid the weak… no matter who they are. Because they are the downfall of the strong," Sasuke recited their father's words.

"Let me tell you something, otouto: there's a saying according to which beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. I believe the same thing can be said for weakness as well. People who are blinded by their ideals shouldn't be given the right to judge others like that; even those who seem to be weak have potential. And you, Sasuke… you have plenty of potential. Chichi can say whatever he wants, but I know that someday, you will become a great shinobi," Itachi said encouragingly.

Timidly, Sasuke looked up at him. "And what if that won't happen? What if I failed? Wouldn't that be a disgrace? I don't want to be anyone's downfall… especially not yours."

"No matter what, you are my little brother, and no matter what happens, I will always love you. Even if the whole world would put you down, I would stand by you. Always. So don't even **think** that I could deem you a disgrace or my downfall, okay?" Itachi told him.

"Nii-san…" Sasuke sighed and leaned against him. Itachi held him a bit closer and tenderly caressed Sasuke's cheek with the back of one of his hands.

He hadn't done that but two or three times when Sasuke suddenly grabbed one of them and turned it over so he could look at the palm – and when he did, he jumped, startled.

"Ah! What happened to you?!" he exclaimed in dismay.

Numerous black stitches were visible on the older Uchiha's palm. It was a rather hideous sight, to put it mildly. The other hand, the one of the arm that was wrapped around the boy's shoulders, was in an equally terrible state. Wide-eyed, Sasuke stared at his brother.

"Itachi, how…?" he asked weakly.

"I had a very eventful encounter with another shinobi, Sasuke. Don't worry; I have been assured that the wounds will heal neatly," Itachi reassured him.

Even so, Sasuke looked so grim for a moment that Itachi swore he was wishing he knew who that "other shinobi" had been so he could make them hurt as well. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Just like Itachi treated anyone who maltreated Sasuke. They didn't like seeing each other being hurt. But what the future would hold in store made Itachi genuinely wonder if Sasuke would be able to really take on that immanent tormentor. It would demand a complete change of his feelings, the ability to ignore what had been before that upcoming event so there would be only the future to look forward to. And while he was thinking of this… the same could be said for him as well, to some degree.

Letting go of Sasuke. Was there anything harder he could do? Itachi doubted it.

"Nii-san, stop! You're going to break the stitches!" Sasuke's voice interrupted his musings, and two smaller hands forcefully separated his fingernails from digging into his palm as they had begun to do during his darker-getting thoughts. Torn out of that gloomy world for now, Itachi could only watch as Sasuke continued to hold his hand, treating it was if it were made of glass and almost cradling it against him. He wouldn't want anyone besides Sasuke to do this. It just wouldn't be the same.

Because no one else loved him so unconditionally and profoundly and could count on his absolute adoration and affection in return.

Closing his eyes, Itachi bowed his head and simply enjoyed the feeling of Sasuke's hair against his skin. "Sasuke?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm, nii-san?" he heard a reply.

"…Thank you."

"For what?"

"For this moment. For temporarily making me forget… other things," he answered after a slight pause.

The satisfaction in the elder's voice was clearly audible, and that made Sasuke smile. He held the hand tightly against his chest, wondering if Itachi could feel his heartbeat even through the fabric of his shirt.

"I'd do anything to make you happy, Itachi."

Shisui had told him the same thing too. And just then, Itachi considered himself very lucky; lucky to know two such wonderful people who cherished him so much. Anybody who felt any different in such a situation didn't deserve to have such people in their lives.

'_What ever did I do to deserve this…?'_

* * *

I really don't like the last part. It's probably just because I had imagined it differently, but then I realized that the original idea wouldn't work well, so basically, I improvised. Still, it is no excuse for this. Gomen nasai!

And yes, I know that one line Pein says actually is from the Bible (hence: I disclaim that)...

On a hopefully happier note, remember that next chapter, it will be December in the story as well! And what does that mean? Exactly: Christmas! Yay! Prepare for what will be an avalanche of fluff in the end... :D


	9. A perfect welcoming

Another week has come and gone... lol, I don't even really remember if anything eventful happened! XD I don't think so... except that I had to deal with a dude who had a serious problem with checking out DVDs. I had to speak **French**, and boy, have I forgotten a lot of it. _(sigh)_ I was sweating bullets while I tried to cough up proper sentences. ;) Oh, and I shopped for Christmas decorations with my Mom - and bought a Santa hat! ^_^ (Yay, now smileys like these work again!) I have been wanting one for quite a while, but don't ask me why I never got around to purchasing one until Saturday. However, my joy because of all the stuff I bought was temporarily overshadowed by the sad fact that we ran a cat over on the way home. It was inevitable... and yet I feel horribly guilty. I feel very sorry for the family who lost their pet and hope that I will never have to experience such a thing ever again.

But enough of my life; here's the first winter/Christmas chapter of the story! Admittedly, there isn't **only** fluff in it, but still I'm rather satisfied with how it turned out. So I hope you will enjoy it as well, my friends!

(**Side note**: In response to an anonymous review I got: I'm honored that you invited me to do that challenge, but firstly, I have changed fandoms for now and really intend to focus on my Naruto stories. There's no use trying to write something that I haven't written about in half a year when I have moved on in the meantime. And secondly, please send me stuff like that via a PM instead of a review for a story that you didn't even comment on. I'd be very grateful for that.)

(**Second side note**, a precautionary measure: if you don't like this pairing and still happened to come across this story, don't waste your time with flaming me because I don't give a _-bleep-_ if you think this pairing is impossible. In fiction, there are (or should be) no boundaries, so do allow authors and authoresses to write whatever they please - except for troll-fics that make our eyes bleed. And if you think I have no life, then go ahead and think that, but keep in mind that you mustn't have that much of a life either if you consider yourself and your opinion such a big screaming deal that you have to go flame people. There. That's all I've got to say.)

* * *

A month later, it finally was December, which meant that most other affairs that might be troubling people's minds got overpowered by the Christmas spirit. Few were immune against it, and few managed to fight it throughout the entire season.

Itachi wasn't one of them. He was walking along the snowy streets, taking pleasure in watching his surroundings: roofs which looked like a giant had coated them with powdered sugar without being stingy at all about the amount of it, smiling snowmen that flanked quite a few doors and were littered all over the playgrounds like a happy army, garlands of blinking lights and laughing children who chased each other recklessly while almost knocking the grown-ups off their feet until their parents practically had to lock them up inside. The streets got busier with every new day as Christmas shopping became an increasingly important topic, particularly for the adults.

Itachi looked up at the skies, where grey clouds seemed to stretch on forever and ever. Millions of dainty snowflakes tumbled from them, coating the heads of those who dwelled outdoors for too long. It was such a beautiful sight… and for a very short moment, he was tempted to stick out his tongue to catch a snowflake, like he saw lots of the kids around him do. A memory surfaced in his mind; the memory of Sasuke standing in front of their house, just three years old, and still purely a bundle of joy. The memory of him trying to catch a snowflake like that, but yelping in surprise when one of those unique creations of nature fell into his eye instead. Itachi chuckled and shook his head a bit.

The very next moment, something collided with him, and he stumbled backwards a few steps, though fortunately quickly managing to catch his balance again. A little brown-haired girl stared up at him almost fearfully, her hands clasped together like someone who was begging.

"Oh… I'm so sorry! Sumimasen!" she squeaked.

"It's –" Itachi began, but then a young boy joined her and interrupted apologetically:

"Please forgive her! Imouto, I **told** you to watch where you're going…" he mock-scolded her in a hushed voice. She averted her gaze and blushed.

"Don't get unnecessarily upset about it," Itachi tried to appease them. "After all, nothing bad happened. Just go on and play."

"We really are sorry," the girl repeated.

Itachi graced them with a small smile and made a shooing gesture. "Don't fret over it. I'm not upset in the least, I promise."

They both bowed to him. "Thank you!" they chirped in unison, then whirled around and ran off again, giggling and laughing. As he watched them go, Itachi looked forward to meeting his hopefully equally merry brother again. He had been gone for one and a half weeks, and this time, time seemed to have passed by even slower than usual.

There seemed to be not a single place in the village where seasonal decorations hadn't been made. Two bushes of holly even flanked the entrance to the police headquarters. Itachi wondered who had been brave enough to try and successfully persuade Fugaku to do at least that this year; the previous year, there had only been one red Christmas flower at the reception desk, and that had been it.

Even the entrance to the Uchiha district looked festive. As he passed those "gates", Itachi met quite a few Uchihas who were off to see what the market had to offer. Aside from the annual sakura blossom festival, Christmas was the only time when the village truly seemed to be as one. Otherwise, particularly the Uchiha clan kept to themselves. Now, however, the smaller children were free to mingle with their clan-external peers.

When his home finally came into view, Itachi took special notice of the mini-garden in front of the door: quite a few of the bushes had been adorned with strings of lights, a few of which would dimly illuminate the path between the flowerbeds once it was dark. When Sasuke had been very little and had seen that kind of decoration for the first time, he had flat-out worriedly asked Itachi if a mob of gnomes were coming to take him away. Naturally, Itachi's reaction couldn't have been anything else but amused.

A wave of cozy warmth washed over him when he entered the house. For a moment, Itachi stood still in order to savor the pleasantness of that feeling. He hadn't really minded the cold outside so much, yet that by far didn't mean that he couldn't appreciate escaping from it. Plus, it was within these walls that his thoughts had mostly dwelled during his absence; and if he **had** ever fully focused on something else, it hadn't been for very long.

Taking a deep breath and filling his lungs with the warm air too, Itachi set off in search of a very special someone. Letting his intuition guide his steps, he ended up in the kitchen, where he didn't find what he was looking for, but still found a first welcoming.

"Tadaima, okasan," he said when he entered the room and saw his mother at the sink.

Mikoto turned around and beamed at the sight of him. "Okaeri, Itachi, dear," she replied softly and briefly abandoned her work to give him a kiss on the cheek. Aside from his birthday, Christmas was the only time she did that without second thoughts; her husband didn't think too highly of such affectionate gestures since he feared that it might have an undesired influence on what he wanted Itachi's attitude to be. But at this time of the year, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"How was the mission?"

"Fine. Looking back, I suppose that nature itself and its climate were more troublesome than the opponents," Itachi answered with a shrug.

"Yes, I'm sure the nights weren't all that easy to deal with… Anyhow; I know someone who can barely wait to see you again," she told him with a wink.

"Where is he?" Itachi asked.

"In his room. He said there's something he needs to finish."

Itachi nodded, then left the kitchen again. Mikoto watched him go with the same happy smile on her face; he may have sounded casual as ever upon asking about Sasuke's whereabouts, but she knew all the same that he had missed him. Very much, to be precise. She was rather glad that Itachi didn't turn Sasuke down like Fugaku wanted him to. It would be such a shame if their bond were to be cut…

Meanwhile, Itachi reached Sasuke's room and knocked twice on the door before opening it. "Otouto, I'm back," he announced. He caught a brief glimpse of Sasuke hunching over something, apparently very preoccupied, but quite promptly after the words had left his lips, the boy scrambled to his feet and proceeded to glomp Itachi, who was too busy dealing with his overjoyed sibling to glance at what he had been working on.

"Nii-san! I'm so glad you're back! Are you alright?" Sasuke greeted him, sounding like a cross between eager and worried.

"I'm fine. And look, the wounds are still healing neatly, like I told you they would," Itachi answered and held out his hands palms-up. Since he had returned from the Akatsuki hideout and Sasuke had seen the results of the fight with Kisame, he always was asked about his welfare when he came back from missions.

Sasuke grabbed one hand and examined it thoroughly before a relieved smile lighted up his face, like it had also done when the stitches had gotten removed from his brother's hands. Then he got that "Aha!"-expression that one got when remembering something.

"I wanna show you something! Wait here for a moment, nii-san!" His voice was brimming with anticipation, and since he of course wanted to know what the cause was for that, Itachi agreed with a nod. Sasuke whirled around and hastily gathered up what he had been working on (again, Itachi missed the opportunity to look at it), then dashed out of the room. His brother did as he had been told to and stayed put, genuinely curious about whichever surprise was waiting for him.

A split minute later, Sasuke returned and barely even bothered to skid to a halt before grabbing Itachi's hand and dragging him along. When Itachi noticed exactly where they were going, he only managed to half-finish a piece of advice – "Wait, you should wear –" (your coat, he had wanted to say) – before he found himself in their backyard. Kami; he had just gotten used to the house's warmth! Not to mention that Sasuke might catch a cold, as he wasn't wearing a jacket and only socks instead of shoes. The last thing Itachi wanted to see was his brother being sick in the pre-Christmas period.

"Look! I made it for you!" Sasuke said proudly and pointed.

Itachi's gaze followed the hint and spotted a snowman. A snowman that was roughly Sasuke's height, maybe even a bit taller. One could immediately see that it had been made with great care: actual buttons instead of mere rocks adorned its stomach, and a red-white scarf had been carefully wrapped around its neck. The stones that formed a perfect smile had most probably not been randomly picked, and the carrot nose wasn't an inch out of place either. An old but fairly elegant hat of their grandfather's was perched on the head, and balanced on two niftily crafted twig arms was a cardboard. «Welcome back, Itachi!» was written in big bold letters on it.

Itachi stared at it. And stared some more. He totally hadn't expected someone to make such an effort just because he had come home. On the other hand, he **had** shown Sasuke that everything the boy did for him meant so much to him… so with that thought in mind plus his ever-present willingness to do anything for his beloved brother, imagining Sasuke doing all that work with a smile was neither impossible nor quite so hard anymore.

"…Itachi?" Sasuke asked cautiously, wondering if it was possible for snowmen to have mesmerizing effects on people.

Finally, Itachi seemed to snap out of his daze, and fixating his little brother, he knelt down in front of him.

"Do you like it?" the younger Uchiha pressed on, cocking his head and unknowingly making himself even more adorable than he already was.

"You know…" Itachi began, but silenced and shook his head. Instead of giving another immediate verbal response, he hugged Sasuke tightly before saying softly: "I'd tell you I love it if that weren't such an understatement. If only it were easier to find words for this…" He breathed a kiss onto Sasuke's neck. "Thank you, otouto. Thank you very, very much," he added in a whisper.

Sasuke couldn't help but giggle happily. That his creation had rendered Itachi speechless due to such strong approval could only be taken as an undeniable proof of success.

"There's something written on the back too," he informed the elder.

This made Itachi end the embrace and cast Sasuke an inquisitive look (but only getting a grin in return), then went to check out the backside of the cardboard.

The statement on the back could hardly be simpler, but that changed nothing about how much it touched Itachi:

«I love you». With a big, carefully drawn red heart at the end. Itachi was spellbound.

A million thoughts crossed his mind as he stood there, but one in particular kept returning: had he really truly considered leaving Sasuke behind and breaking his heart by doing so? To put him through the pain of losing not only his parents, but his sibling as well? To betray him in such an awful way?

'_How could you?!'_ his subconscious scolded. _'You would make part of him die forever – the part you love so much! If you've got just a grain of sincerity, you will revise that decision!'_

All the previous questions had to be answered with yes, may God have pity on his soul. And as for the response to his self-scolding…

'_I shall.'_

Itachi tore his gaze away from the hidden declaration and found Sasuke kneeling beside him, trying to refine the outlines of a snow angel he had made as well. Looking up now that he had his brother's attention again, he smiled sheepishly.

"I think I messed this one up a bit. See, the wings look weird… and I wanted everything to be perfect for you."

"Sasuke…" Itachi picked the boy up – bridal style, though. Sasuke blushed a bit; he had never been held like this before. "It **is** perfect, in my opinion. I love you so much… more than anything or anyone I know. Remember what you promised me?"

"…That I'd never forget your love?" Sasuke guessed, saying the first thing that entered his mind.

"Exactly. Now and forever, otouto…" _'And may lightning strike me dead if you would forget it,'_ he thought to himself.

"Aniki… your eyes are glistening…" Sasuke remarked, reaching out to touch Itachi's face. He looked concerned.

"That's because I'm so happy, thanks to you," the prodigy reassured him before lifting Sasuke up until he could kiss him with as much love and passion as he could muster. When he heard a quiet sigh of contentment and felt those soft lips move against his, the wintry breeze seemed to be much colder against his skin, and he realized that tears were rolling down his cheeks. Tears of joy and ruefulness alike. Given the rarity of his tears, it was like an atonement for his sin, the sin of ever having considered to break his promise to always be there for Sasuke.

A fair amount of time seemed to pass by before the two brothers finally parted. It was with apparent dismay that Sasuke noticed what had happened during their kiss(es).

"You're crying?!"

"Yes, Sasuke. But remember that that doesn't necessarily mean that one is sad; it can also happen due to anger or happiness. And in my case, it's the last option, so don't even start to blame yourself," Itachi answered, allowing the youngster to wipe away the streaks his tears had left behind.

"If you're really okay with that…" Sasuke muttered.

"Positive."

Just then, Sasuke shivered and pressed himself against Itachi, digging his fingers into the other's shirt.

"Forgive me, otouto… I got so carried away that I forgot that you're not properly dressed for being outside," Itachi apologized and quickly brought Sasuke inside.

"I'm fine, nii-san."

"Still, it's easy to catch a cold, especially if one is running around like you. I'll see if haha will make you some tea."

"…Don't you want to put me down first?"

"Do you **want** me to put you down?" Itachi asked instead.

"Not exactly," Sasuke admitted, blushing again. "But I thought… you know, because you're taking me to haha, and you said she wouldn't understand…"

"Hush, Sasuke. First you get some tea, and then we'll talk," Itachi told him.

Hoping that his brother knew what he was doing – though not seriously doubting that – Sasuke allowed himself to get carried to the kitchen. He enjoyed being in Itachi's arms like this just as much as he enjoyed piggyback rides…

"Okasan, could you make a cup of tea for Sasuke?" Itachi inquired when they had rejoined their mother.

"Yes, but why –?"

"I'll be right back," Itachi added quickly before carefully putting Sasuke down at the table and then swiftly leaving the kitchen. The boy watched after him, slightly confused.

"What's all this about? Ah, Sasuke! You're wet! You weren't outside just now, were you?!" Mikoto exclaimed when she noticed the dampness on Sasuke's legs.

Unable to lie to her, Sasuke confessed: "I was, okasan. I had to show nii-san a surprise."

"Dear, what did I tell you about going outside without a jacket? You will catch a cold!"

"Itachi already said that too."

"And he's absolutely right. Now sit tight while I make some tea for you, okay?"

Looking slightly dejected, Sasuke sat down at the table. "I'm sorry, okasan; I was just so excited…" he tried to explain.

"Honey, I'm not angry with you. All I want is for you to stay healthy so you can enjoy the season for all it's worth," Mikoto reassured him with one of her kind smiles. "So, did Itachi at least **like** your surprise?"

Lighting up a bit at the change of subject, Sasuke nodded. "Yeah! He said that I make him very happy… and then he cried," he added in a hushed voice.

"He did? That's rather unusual," Mikoto remarked.

"I didn't know that you can make people cry by making them happy," Sasuke mused.

"You can, and keep in mind that that is a good reason for making someone cry. Those usually are tears one doesn't mind shedding."

"Oh…"

Just then, Itachi returned, holding a woolen blanket and a pair of sweat pants. "Sasuke, go change into these, okay?" he asked of him, handing over the habiliment.

Sasuke eyed it distrustfully. "Are you going somewhere today, aniki?"

"Going somewhere?" Itachi repeated, looking puzzled. "No, I just got back home, so I daresay I'll stay here."

"Okay, then. Because I would have wanted to come with you if you had gone somewhere," Sasuke said, taking the pants and standing up.

Itachi chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, otouto; I'm all yours."

Sasuke's only response was one of those cute smiles that few people could resist (least of all Itachi) before he left for the bathroom.

"I heard that Sasuke made a nice surprise for you," Mikoto commented as they waited for the water to boil soon.

"Indeed: a welcome-home snowman in the backyard," Itachi answered.

"A **welcome-home** snowman?" Mikoto laughed. "How sweet!"

"Only those with a heart of stone wouldn't feel welcomed by such a sight. Like chichi, for instance. I'm sure he'd say that Sasuke is being way too emotional," Itachi replied deprecatingly.

"Perhaps things would be different if he and his brothers would have gotten along like you and Sasuke do. But they were practically raised to always compete with each other… like your father wants you to do now, basically. I just really hope that you will never let that happen, that you will never sever your bond with Sasuke for mere competitive purposes," Mikoto whispered, and hearing her speak like that and seeing the look in her eyes made Itachi realize that she truly feared that things would turn out like that.

"Okasan, I may know little to nothing about what the future holds in store, but I can assure you one thing: I will always love Sasuke. I would never be able to treat him like a mere rival or an opposition. There's nothing chichi can say or do to make that happen," Itachi replied, meaning each and every word he said.

"I really hope so… but you don't hear the things he says… about you…" She faltered, and a sudden impulse drove her to embrace her older son and hold him tightly. Itachi willingly let it happen and hoped to comfort her by returning the gesture.

'_Okasan… you've done so much for us… I hope you will be able to forgive me…'_

The kettle started to whistle shrilly, and at the same time, Sasuke came back to find his brother hugging their mother. The solemn expression on his face troubled the boy, especially after he had seen Itachi being all smiles just minutes ago.

"Aniki? Okasan?" he piped up. He watched the grave expressions get washed away from their faces as they looked at him. What had they been talking about just before? Were those smiles just cover-ups for a concern they either didn't want to or couldn't share with him…?

"I'll be with you in a moment, sweetie. The tea water is ready," Mikoto excused herself, and as she turned back to the stove, Itachi sauntered over to the table and invited Sasuke to sit beside him. When they were side by side, he took the woolen blanket and wrapped it around the youngster's shoulders.

"Thanks," Sasuke murmured.

"You're welcome." Itachi then proceeded to hoist Sasuke onto his lap and wrap his arms around his middle. Forgetting everything around him for a moment, Sasuke indulged himself in the embrace, closing his eyes.

"Sasuke, here's your tea. And I made one for you too, Itachi; I presume you weren't wearing a jacket either?" Mikoto's voice suddenly said, and Sasuke's eyes flew open to see her place two steaming cups in front of them. Realizing that there was no way she could have overseen their what could be considered an intimate situation, he shot a worried glance at his brother, all the while remembering how he had been told that «their parents wouldn't understand».

However, Itachi didn't seem to be worried in any way; instead, he smiled almost sheepishly without making any effort to let go of Sasuke in the slightest. "Guilty as charged, okasan."

"You two…" She shook her head a bit, then sat down opposite of them. At first, that made Sasuke nervous, and while he slowly sipped his hot tea, he kept glancing at her, but every time he did so, all he saw was either her watching them with that genuine and also somewhat dreamy smile on her face, or how she just sat there with her eyes closed and thinking about Kami knew what – but it had to be something pleasant, given that she always looked happy. After a while, he relaxed quite a bit and could continue to simply enjoy being where he was, sitting on Itachi's lap and "trapped" in his embrace. The situation was so serene, so perfect… if only it could last forever!

Itachi just let himself go, and although he knew that their mother was there, he might as well have been oblivious to that fact. Even when he sipped his own tea, he kept one arm around Sasuke, and once or twice he even ended up drinking his sibling's tea instead – and vice versa. Silently and just for himself, he had decided to live this Christmas as if it were his last; after all, it could very well be that this would be the last time he would be able to celebrate it with his family. From this moment on, he would do everything in his power to not let anything negative overshadow the season's spirit. He would exclude meddlesome people like Madara from his world. For this one special month, he wanted to have his peace. Screw his mission for now – according to the elders, nothing would happen this year.

Putting down his cup again, he bedded his head on Sasuke's shoulder and sighed softly. For the first time in quite a while, he was relaxed, even in his thoughts, and all he could focus on was the feeling of holding Sasuke in his arms and sensing how the shoulders rose and fell slightly with every breath his brother took. Things just couldn't get much better than this.

"…Sasuke?" Mikoto finally whispered, keeping her voice down as if fearing that it would tear the silence to shreds otherwise.

"Hmm?" the youngest Uchiha mumbled. Itachi didn't even budge.

"Are you warm again? Feeling alright?"

"Mmh-hmm."

"Good. I'll be right back." Silently, she rose and left the kitchen, though pausing at the doorway to look back at her sons, just in time to see Sasuke snuggle up even closer to Itachi. But as soon as she tore her gaze away from them, Itachi took one of Sasuke's hands in his own and guided it underneath the blanket, where he was free to hold it without anyone noticing. He squeezed it gently and slowly caressed the other's knuckles with his thumb.

"Aniki?" he heard a whisper right beside his ear.

"Yes?"

"I don't understand… why are you holding me like this in haha's presence? I thought you said she and chichi wouldn't understand this… and if she'd find out…"

"I did say that, but I can name you two reasons why I'm not quite as secretive as usual: firstly, haha doesn't object to see us together as strongly as chichi does. She even encouraged me to preserve our bond. So you mustn't be afraid to admit to her that you love me – even though she might understand that in a different sense, the fact remains that you can openly say those words around her. And secondly, Christmas is the season of family and love. If we don't let things get out of hand, we are more than entitled to freely show that we care for each other," Itachi explained, nuzzling Sasuke's neck as if to emphasize his point.

Naturally, Sasuke let this happen before he returned some of the affection by kissing Itachi's nose, which happened to be the most easily accessible body part right then.

"I'm glad for that," he sighed.

"So am I, otouto. So am I," Itachi repeated.

The brothers fell silent, knowing that there was no need for anymore words, and so they just sat there, relishing in each other's warmth. When Mikoto returned with a camera in her hand, they were almost dozing, and she took the liberty of secretly capturing that moment on camera, just like she had done with Sasuke's snowman out back. She marveled in particular about the sheer happiness one could see in Itachi's features – she hadn't seen him look quite so happy in ages. She supposed that part of that might be due to the Christmas spirit, but she was fairly sure that Sasuke was the main cause for that, and as she left the room again in order to not disturb them, she sent a quick prayer to the heavens, thanking them for having blessed her with two such wonderful sons.

* * *

_Sumimasen_ = a formal way of apologizing. Thanks to **Vannah-chan** for helping me with that!

_Tadaima_ = "I'm back (home)."

_Okaeri =_ "Welcome back."

So, what do you think? Reviews are greatly appreciated! :) An even if you can't/don't want to spare the time for that, I hope you'll have a good week!

The next chapter will probably take place after a one-week timeskip or so - just so you know about that beforehand. More fluff will be abound, I promise!

_devotedtodreams_


	10. Christmas shopping

Huzzah, it's almost Christmas now!!!! And I **will** get presents because I **did **clean up my room! _(pats shoulder)_ I'm feeling so darn happy at the moment... though currently, it might have to do with the fact that I've been listening to this rather dumb but funny 90's song a dozen times straight now (a certain amount of brain damage simply **has** to be done when one listens to so much DJ Ötzi at once XD)! (The song is kinda special, too... it brings back junior high school memories of a glorious thing called "Lunapark"...) :)

And it finally has been done: I got the mouse pad with the Naruto yaoi/shonen-ai collage that I made! It can be viewed on my **crunchyroll** account, if you're curious what it looks like (same username, BTW). My Dad came to install a security program on my laptop, and one can probably imagine that I was cracking up when we had to wait for stuff to happen every now and then and my desktop (which is the same as the pic for the mousepad) was right there in his face... and when it shut down, he was practically forced to look at Sasuke bending over Naruto's face after their battle at the Valley of the End! Eye-candy for me, but for him... folks, I didn't want to ask him. ;)

This chapter was fun to write, and for a change I could write a little something every day, so it wasn't too hard to get it done within a week! The only thing I don't like so much is that there still isn't quite as much fluff as I had thought there would be, but if you'll sum it up in the winter chapters, it should still be a decent amount! And Christmas Eve is yet to come... :D

So for now, all I still have to say is that I hope you'll enjoy this! Happy reading! ^_^

* * *

It was snowing when the Uchiha brothers went to check out the seasonal market. At first, Sasuke was disappointed that the snowflakes were rather small, but when Itachi explained that the bigger the snowflakes were, the closer they were to raindrops instead of actual snow, he quickly changed his mind. However, he still would try and catch one or another snowflake, wanting to see their dainty crystalline structure without needing a picture book. Never mind Itachi's hint that he most likely wouldn't be able to see that with the naked eye…

Once they became part of the mass of Christmas shoppers and passed by the actual shop windows, Sasuke found plenty of other things to take interest in. It seemed to Itachi that they stopped at every second window, where Sasuke's breath would condense on the glass because he always wanted to look at things up close. Everything on display was very nice, yet Itachi repeatedly found that his main interest was his little brother. He just couldn't resist feasting his eyes on the constant sparkle in those onyx orbs, that wonderful shade of pink that had tinted those pale cheeks, that unique smile, the way snowflakes got caught up in the slightly messed-up spiky hair that covered most of the protective headband he was wearing… Itachi could have gone on like that for ages without ever needing to say the boy's name. Especially now, he felt that his love for Sasuke grew and became stronger with every new day. For the moment, life was entirely good.

"Wow! Nii-san, look at that weapon! I can see my reflection in that blade! What is it called, again?" Sasuke asked. He had almost pressed his nose against the window, staring wide-eyed at an item on display.

When Itachi laid eyes on the item in question, he tried to mentally talk his heart out of feeling heavy. With partial success. At least **that**. "That's a katana, Sasuke."

"It looks pretty… but I bet it's dangerous too."

"**Very** dangerous. With one of those, the warning to not run around with scissors sounds ridiculous."

"Was that what hurt your hands, aniki?"

"No, it was something different. Otouto, why don't we go look at something more pleasant instead?"

"But Itachi –"

"Please," Itachi interrupted softly.

"Oh… okay. What do you want to look at?" Sasuke inquired, turning away from the window. Itachi took his hand, and they walked away from the weapon shop. Neither one of them looked back, but at least Itachi's thoughts strayed back to that window behind which the katana lay.

"You did hear what haha said before she let us go, didn't you?" Itachi said.

"That we shouldn't take off our scarves and headbands?"

"No… well, yes, she did, but I'm talking about the other thing. She wanted us to go look for a few ornaments because some broke last year, remember?"

"Oh yeah, you're right…" Sasuke answered glumly as he was reminded of how his favorite ornament had shattered upon falling off its branch. It had been one of those "my 1st Christmas" decorations.

"Cheer up, Sasuke," Itachi encouraged him and squeezed the hand he was holding. "We'll get replacements for them. Pick whichever ones you like – and as for the one that shall replace your broken rocking horse, I will pay for that myself."

"Don't you want to save your money instead?"

"I won't go broke, so no worries about that."

"But here you go again – buying me stuff and all, and I already spent all my money for this month…" On a Christmas present for his brother, to be precise, but for once Sasuke held his tongue.

"You don't need to give me something in return, and shall I tell you why?" Itachi replied as they entered a shop and continued: "Because you already have given me something. Your love, your affection… everything that is you. There is no better repayment."

"You mean the world to me, nii-san," Sasuke whispered and hugged Itachi.

The elder was incredibly tempted to kneel down right on the spot, gently cup those cheeks with his hands and kiss his very own angel with all the tenderness he deserved. But that would mean getting seen, and the word would get passed on until it would reach Fugaku's ears, which would force them to kiss a peaceful Christmas goodbye.

So instead (but fitfully), he resolved to simply ruffling the other's hair, ridding it of a couple of snowflakes that still clung to it.

After that, Itachi told his brother to go look around, to which the boy agreed under the condition that Itachi would never be too far away.

"I don't wanna get lost in **that**, nii-san," he said with a faint whine and pointed to what could easily be described as a sea of shoppers. Outside, he had often been grateful to hold Itachi's hand tightly at all times.

"I'll be close by, otouto. As long as you don't randomly follow someone because they look like me from behind or from the waist down, everything will be fine," Itachi assured him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, grinning. "As if… Nobody looks as good as you do!"

"Oh, Sasuke…" Itachi sighed and made the boy turn around a millisecond before a faint yet unmistakable blush rose to his cheeks.

There was so much to see that Sasuke believed to discover something new every time he rummaged through the assortment – and all in all, he went around three times! Occasionally, he would call Itachi over when he spotted something particularly pretty. And as for the replacement of his broken rocking horse…

"Nii-san, nii-san! I think I've found my replacement!" he called excitedly.

"Which one is it, otouto?" Itachi asked as he ambled over from where he had been looking at a bunch of candles, pondering whether or not to buy one for their mother. She loved candles, though she usually deemed the ones people got for her as «too pretty to burn down»; some of the candles at home were more than ten years old.

"That snowman up there! See the one with the present beside it? It's almost like the one I made for you." The shelf was too high up for Sasuke to reach, so he was forced to merely point at it.

Itachi reached up and retrieved the snowman to examine it closely. "Well, there **is** some resemblance, but I think yours is prettier. Hand-made things always have a very special charm, you know," he remarked.

"I like it anyway. Will you get me that, aniki?" Sasuke begged, making puppy-eyes.

"Of course, Sasuke. I never said I didn't like it either, and I did promise to get you whatever you want," Itachi smiled.

"Yay!" Sasuke cheered as Itachi deposited the ornament in the little basket he had fetched some time ago. They had found replacements for almost every broken decoration, but both of them had a feeling that they would end up bringing back a few extra ones…

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A while later, Sasuke was browsing through the assortment for the third time when he took the first step on the road to popularity – albeit somewhat involuntarily. Itachi was back at the candles again while he himself was in front of various things that sparkled and shone: tinsel, strings of lights that flashed in red, blue, green and white colors, hand-made artificial icicles that gleamed in the light and all the likes. Suddenly, he heard a giggle. Puzzled, he looked around because it had sounded pretty close by, but he didn't see anybody who was very likely to have uttered that quiet laugh. Shrugging, he turned back to the decorations when he heard the same sound again. This time, he just looked to his sides because it had sounded so close, but again, he saw nobody. And as soon as he looked at the blinking lights again, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder and say in an almost shy tone of voice:

"Hi."

All too willing to confront the "culprit", Sasuke whirled around and found a pair of big bright green eyes staring at him. For a moment, that really was all Sasuke saw before he took another look and noticed that those eyes belonged to a girl his age with a large forehead and… bright pink hair? Sasuke got that «Oh my **God**!» expression on his face.

The temporary silence between them ended when she flashed him a hopefully-heartwarming smile. "My name's Sakura. What's yours?"

"Um… Sasuke," the young Uchiha answered. His conscience was still screaming something about pink hair. **Pink** hair, for Kami's sake!

It was then that a weird look appeared in the girl's eyes; a look that creeped Sasuke out. He had yet to define it as the "instant fangirl" look.

"Sasuke," she repeated, sounding as if she had just been told what the purpose of life was.

"Yeah, that's me," he replied somewhat uneasily.

For a few seconds, she just stared blankly at him, then she sighed. Long and loud, of course. "Sasuke," she repeated once more, and he could clearly watch as her cheeks acquired a pink hue – a far darker pink than her hair, though. A major blush.

Okay, now she was officially freaking him out. Sasuke began to back off with a smile on his face that made him look as if he were about to be sick.

Sakura suddenly snapped out of her dreamy daze (complete with eyelid-batting) and noticed that he was slowly slipping away. "Sasuke? Sasuke, wait, I –" she tried to stop him and reached out to touch him, but seeing that his personal space was about to get invaded by her again, Sasuke turned tail and fled, for once in his life glad to get lost within a crowd. Bumping into numerous people as he went, he glanced over his shoulder and noticed to his utmost relief that Sakura either hadn't followed him at all or had lost him in the meantime.

Still; just to be one the safe side for sure, he continued to run for a bit until he stopped at a Christmas tree that stood out in the open. But when he stopped, panting to catch his breath, he realized that despite having gotten rid of a pink-haired admirer, he had lost his older brother as well. All because he had run away.

"Itachi!" he gasped when that realization dawned on him. Wide-eyed, he looked up at the people who passed him by, few of them bothering to spare him a glance. Just strangers, all of them.

"Nii-san!" he squeaked. Screw the advice of staying where you were when lost – why would he stay here, surrounded by nothing but strangers for who-knew-how-long?! And screw the "fact" that Uchihas didn't squeak; he was **frightened**!

"Itachi!" he cried, and without a second thought, he ventured back into the crowd, desperate to find his brother.

His frantic search led him to the entrance, where two heavily decorated trees stood on either side of the door. Finally, he saw a familiar face again – but it didn't make him jump for joy.

"Kachan, you should have seen him! He was so **sweet**!" a certain pink-haired girl squealed.

"Sakura, keep going, we've already been here long enough…"

"But… but… but…!"

Taking absolutely no chances, Sasuke hid behind one of the trees. Peering past the branches, he saw how Sakura's mother was trying to shoo her daughter out of the store while Sakura was stalling, undoubtedly hoping to see Sasuke again so she would have a concrete reason to persuade her mother to stay. As she stalled, she gave a remarkable eulogy about her new-found and already-declared-to-be-**her** crush.

"Did I already tell you that he's called Sasuke?" she asked eagerly, trying to drag her mother back into the store, away from the door.

"Yes, you have, and judging by everything I've heard from you in just several minutes, it sounds as if you've met Prince Charming himself," her mother replied, looking at the ceiling while she spoke.

"Prince Charming… Kachan, you always find the right words…!" Sakura was back in her dreamy state. Her mother seized the opportunity and pushed her out of the store.

Sasuke inched around the tree, watching after them in order to be absolutely sure that they were gone. Once he was convinced that that was the case, he refocused on his momentary problem: to find his brother. He turned around and looked at the mass of people. Itachi could be anywhere. That thought alone was enough to make him feel utterly discouraged.

Trying to elbow his way though the crowd and being on the lookout at the same time was quite a struggle, especially when one was only six years old and on his way alone during Christmas shopping, of all times. Maintaining your balance was the trick, to keep going your way and not let yourself get (figuratively) swept away by tides that drifted back and forth and left and right. All too soon, Sasuke had close to no idea where he was, and Itachi was still nowhere to be found.

Where was the exit? Where was Itachi? **Why** had he been so stupid to ignore the warning that everyone heard at least once in their lives?! Sasuke bowed his head in shame – just as someone hurrying by accidentally bumped into him, thus making him crash into another somebody as well.

"Sumimasen…" Sasuke muttered in all humbleness while shooting an apologetic look at the one he had almost overthrown.

And froze.

"Sasuke! There you are!" Itachi exclaimed when he saw who had bumped into him. The boy in question looked as if he had seen a ghost – but only for a short moment before he latched onto Itachi.

"Nii-san! I'm so glad… I thought I wouldn't find you again! I didn't even know where **I** was anymore! I'm sorry for running away like that…!" He even started sobbing dryly with relief.

"Ssh, otouto, everything's alright now… after all, we **did** find each other again, even if it was just by coincidence," Itachi whispered, kneeling down and putting his arms around his brother's shaking figure.

"Aniki…" Sasuke murmured, closing his eyes and finally smiling, relieved. Almost instantly gone were his fears and his desperation now that he was reunited with his sibling – Sasuke was once again feeling safe, loved and not at all jealous of anybody else because only he was so fortunate to have Itachi as a brother.

When he had savored the moment for all it was worth, he grabbed the elder's hand and held it tightly. "I'm not letting go anymore," he told him.

"Hold on as long as you want to," Itachi replied and silently prompted Sasuke to loosen his grip – but only to entwine their fingers a second later. Figuring that this was a good time to end this part of their excursion, they went to pay for their decorations.

As they stepped out into the cold, Itachi asked: "Why did you run away so suddenly, anyway, Sasuke? Was someone bothering you?"

"Not exactly. There was this girl –"

Itachi stifled a laugh, though he was unable to stop an amused look from gracing his features. Noticing this reaction, of course, Sasuke made a face and pouted.

"It's not funny!" he protested. "She was weird! She had pink hair! She looked at me as if I were the answer to all her prayers or something!"

"I **told** you that you'd be popular someday," Itachi commented, grinning.

"I don't see people getting freaky expressions when they look at **you**, though!"

"Don't be deceived, otouto; I know exactly what you're talking about. There's absolutely nothing you can do about it, though: that girl won't forget you until the day she dies."

Sasuke looked aghast.

Just then, a welcome distraction was provided in form of a little boy and a girl who passed them by. They were whining and trying to convince their mother to turn around.

"Kachan, we wanna see Santa Claus again… can't we go back?!"

"Sweethearts, you already had your turns, and surely you saw that plenty other children want to see him as well, so please let them have their chance too."

"But I forgot to tell him one of my wishes!"

"He'll know about it anyway, dear; he is Santa Claus, after all…"

And then their voices faded away when they vanished in the crowd. Sasuke looked up at Itachi, his eyes wide and bearing a very meaningful look.

"Santa…!" was all he said.

Itachi knew what that tone of voice meant, and in this case it meant that they wouldn't be going home before Sasuke saw Santa. That one word had been spoken like a statement, but it was actually a demand in disguise. Itachi gazed skywards before smiling at Sasuke.

"I got the message: we'll go find Santa so you can see him, don't worry."

"Don't you want to see him too, aniki?" Sasuke wondered.

"It's okay," Itachi chuckled as he shook his head.

Sasuke thought for a moment, then realized that his brother had never been the first to speak of Santa – he seemed to only do so when someone else brought up that subject. But that might mean…

"Wait a minute… do you even believe in him?!"

"Funny that you should ask… Excuse me, but we heard that Santa is in town. Where might we find him?" Itachi suddenly interrupted his answer to ask someone about that very special visitor.

"At Konoha Mart. It's quite an attraction…"

"Thank you." Itachi nodded to the woman who had answered, then quickly returned to the prior conversation: "Let's just say that I used to believe in him more when I was younger."

"But if you don't believe in him, where are you supposed to get presents from?"

"Sasuke, that doesn't matter because I don't need any presents. They make you extremely happy, don't they?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, **I** find my happiness in **you**, so I can easily forfeit presents as long as you're around." The urge to kiss Sasuke was getting harder to resist with practically every new moment. Itachi felt how he really wanted to kiss his brother's hand – he couldn't care less that mostly ladies were treated that way.

"And what about Shisui?" Sasuke asked.

"Him too, sure, but mostly you, Sasuke. No one could fill the large hole you'd leave behind."

"No one would need to… because I don't plan to leave you, Itachi. Ever," Sasuke assured him. He felt somewhat guilty for not having thought about happiness in the same way Itachi did, because the same thing could be said for him as well. Looking at it in the bigger picture, presents were really just icing on the top of the cake as long as the two of them had each other.

Despite his earlier promise, Itachi was unable to stop a thought from entering his mind; the thought that although Sasuke sounded oh-so-convinced that he would never change his mind, there was no telling if he would still crave his brother's presence once everyone else he had loved so far was gone.

"What did you say, aniki? I didn't quite catch that," Sasuke suddenly piped up, tugging at Itachi's hand to get his attention.

Instinctively, Itachi managed to repeat himself. "Never make a promise you might not keep." _'Great… like __**I'm**__ one to talk…' _

Sasuke gave him that «Yeah, right» look. "Name me one reason why I would leave you."

No reply.

'_What's wrong with him? I hope it wasn't something I said,'_ Sasuke thought worriedly.

And then, just like that, Itachi snapped out of it. He was even smiling again when he apologized for his brief absentmindedness. "Sorry, Sasuke; I just got carried away a bit. Let's go see Santa now so haha won't end up wondering if we got lost."

Sasuke nodded, though it required some self conquest to really cheer up. But when he noticed that Itachi was genuinely happy again as he watched snowflakes tumble from the sky, he even began to softly sing "Santa Claus is coming to town" under his breath. Something about that made Itachi even happier, and once or twice, he also caught himself humming a note or two as well…

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

At Konoha Mart, the spirits were so high that only the grumpiest of the grumpy were walking around with anything but a smile on their faces. Plenty of room had been made for Santa, and the store had even provided a nice old-fashioned chair for him to sit on. The woman hadn't been understating when she said that «it was quite an attraction»…

Sasuke seriously reconsidered if he wanted to go through with this or not when he saw a familiar mop of pink hair waiting in line.

"What are you waiting for, otouto? You should get in line now before it gets much longer," Itachi advised him, not yet understanding why his brother remained at his side instead of getting in line right away.

"Nii-san, **she's** here…"

"She?"

"That girl with the pink hair! I don't think I could get away from her so easily here."

"Don't you worry; I'll be watching in case she'd want to molest you," Itachi joked.

"In case she'd want to **what**?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"I meant, in case she'd bother you," Itachi corrected himself, hoping that that explanation would do for now. _'Way to go…'_ he thought, directing all the sarcasm at himself. He was practically **asking** to give Sasuke "the talk" sooner or later…

"Promise?"

"Promise. Go ahead, now." The older Uchiha gave him a little push, and Sasuke took a deep breath as he took his place at the end of the line.

Things didn't quite go as planned, however, because Itachi decided to take a closer look at the "kindly old elf" – and when he did, he hastily abandoned his post to seek temporary refuge in the very end of the store in a deserted aisle.

Why?

So nobody would see him have one heck of a laughing fit.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was doing his very best to stay hidden behind the kid in front of him so he would by no means attract Sakura's attention. If so, then he was doomed, he told himself. This was a mission. Do not let the enemy spot you. Do not say a word. Do not–

"Hi, dattebayo! Whatcha doing?" a loud voice behind him exclaimed cheerfully.

Sasuke jumped and slowly turned around, as if dreading what he would face.

What he saw was a boy his age with blond hair, bright blue eyes and what looked like whiskers on his cheeks. Most probably another weirdo, Sasuke thought, inwardly rolling his eyes.

"Um… waiting in line. What does it look like?" he asked back.

"Like you're cowering behind the guy in front of you," the other boy answered truthfully.

"Was not!" Sasuke defended himself, glaring.

"You're so in denial…" The blond peered around the one in front of them and suddenly yelled: "Hey Sakura! Hi, dattebayo!"

Sasuke's jaw dropped in horror.

Sure enough; the pink-haired girl turned around and rolled her eyes. "Naruto, can it –" When she saw who was with him, however, she squealed and instantly left her spot in line. Simply by not caring that she had to go to the back of line because of that, she was making a statement. "Sasuke!" she squealed and ran up to them.

Before the storm was upon him, Sasuke frantically looked around for Itachi, but was dismayed when he couldn't spot him anywhere. Hadn't he promised that he would be around?! He gasped when a certain future kunoichi knocked the air out of him in an enthusiastic glomp.

"Oof! Let go, you're suffocating me!" he tried to ward her off.

"I'm so glad to see you again! Are you here to see Santa too? We can wait together! It'll be even more fun now! Oh, I'm so happy!" she gushed, practically cuddling him. Sasuke writhed and squirmed, desperate to get free again.

The way Naruto eyed him, Sasuke could tell that he wasn't happy about this. But hell, it wasn't as if he had **asked** for this mini-kamikaze attack…! "You know him, Sakura, dattebayo?" he asked, clearly disappointed that she had stormed right past him.

"Yes! We met in a shop earlier!"

"Help me!" Sasuke mouthed.

Things got even better (depending on one's point of view): a blonde walked up to them, obviously someone who knew Sakura as well and therefore was potentially another enemy, Sasuke figured. And he was right.

"Hey guys, what's up? Who's your new friend, Sakura?"

"His name's Sasuke, and he's **mine**!" Sakura declared.

The other girl looked Sasuke over, and seemingly ignoring what her friend had said, she winked at him flirtatiously. "Hi, my name's Ino. You're cute, Sasuke…"

"Didn't you listen?! I was here first! Back off!" Sakura screeched.

Ino stuck out her tongue. "He looks as if he'd rather be somewhere else, so you're obviously not making him happy enough. Let **me** have a go now!"

"Bite me!"

"Fine!"

And the two girls, formerly best friends, proceeded to have their first catfight as they were waiting in line to see Santa. In the midst of the fight, Sasuke managed to escape Sakura's death grip and tried to spot Itachi again – without success. Letting his shoulders sag, but not willing to make the same mistake like last time, he chose to stay where he was. Naruto may be weird with his whiskers and all, but he was ten times better than two girls who were already fighting even though neither of them knew him for even an hour yet.

"Freaks…!" he huffed.

"No one ever fights over **me** like that, dattebayo," Naruto remarked rather sadly.

"Well, I sure didn't ask for it," Sasuke informed him.

"I call dibs on Sakura," the blond said and turned to look around the line again.

"You can have her… both of them, even, for all I care," Sasuke muttered.

"What's the holdup, dattebayo?! I wanna see Santa already!"

"We're at the end of the line, dobe, so it will take a while." Why he had come up with that term, Sasuke didn't know, but now it was too late to take it back.

"I'm a dobe, huh, dattebayo?! Teme!" Naruto countered, bristling.

"I don't know what made me say that…" Sasuke tried to apologize. "Truce?" He didn't want to get into a squabble with anybody now that it was almost Christmas… and besides, if Naruto would forgive him, he might just find his first friend outside of the clan.

The fox-boy in question examined him critically, but then shrugged, and the cheerfulness he had sported upon meeting Sasuke returned. "Aside from the fact that you called me dobe and that you refuse a cute girl like Sakura, you don't seem to be such a bad guy, so… okay, dattebayo! Truce!"

The line gradually moved in, and with each step Naruto and Sasuke took, the dust cloud that concealed Sakura and Ino followed them. Eventually, when they entered the first half of the line, the girls stopped, panting heavily and glaring daggers at each other.

"Sasuke, tell her I was here first!" Sakura asked of him.

"Hmpf! Tell her that she's got nothing on me!" Ino retorted. "Of course, if you'd be willing to find that out for yourself…"

"Ino-pig!" Sakura hissed.

"Forehead girl!" the blonde shot back.

"Why don't you both shut up instead? Unless you **want** Santa to give you a lump of coal…" Sasuke said instead, barely even sparing them a glance.

The two girls gave each other another dirty look, but actually did shut up, apparently choosing to heed Sasuke's warning, for which child wanted a lump of coal?

"This is taking forever, dattebayo! Hey, and why is Santa so thin? I always thought he was fat!" Naruto complained, craning his neck to look over the heads of the people in front of them.

Ino looked too and suggested: "Maybe he's on a diet! If he is, it sure did him good."

"You mean it would be pointless to leave milk and cookies for him? But kachan made them especially good this year!" Sakura remarked, disappointed.

"Maybe a bowl of fruit would be better… plus the carrots for the reindeer, of course."

"Like I'd forget **that**…"

Sasuke sighed. Did they have no other problems? As long as it was Santa, they really could care less about what he looked like. And diet or not, he would still offer milk and cookies to that jolly old man; so far, every year the treat had been accepted. Cookies were infallible.

In short, the wait was fairly entertaining. Sasuke reluctantly accepted the fact that for some reason, his brother had gone missing and that he was forced to fend for himself – which he did by making Naruto stand between him and the girls. Despite the fact that the blond did know them, he seemed to (involuntarily) act like some kind of repelling shield. The only reason Sasuke needed to justify his actions was that he was there first, and he couldn't help but smirk when the loud-mouthed blond pouted a bit when he was put in his place.

And then, finally, it was Sasuke's turn to go sit on Santa's lap. He could sense Ino and Sakura ogling him all the way.

"Ho ho ho! And what might your wish be, Sasuke?" Santa asked when Sasuke sat on his knee.

"You know my name?!" the young Uchiha asked.

"Of course I do. So, what do you wish for Christmas?"

"Hmm…"

"How about a girlfriend?" Sakura piped up.

"Two!" Ino chimed in. Both of them had hearts for eyes, almost swooning now that they could freely admire Sasuke. Naruto looked slightly put out.

"Don't listen to them, Santa," Sasuke grumbled. "I don't need a girlfriend. But… I do still wish for chichi's respect. Or even just appreciation, that would be fine too," he added quietly.

"Ooh, that's a tricky one… um… I'll see what I can do." Santa looked rather flustered, Sasuke thought, cocking his head as he observed the man's reaction. "Is there anything else?"

"Aside from a few new shuriken, there is one other thing: I wish for my aniki to be happy again."

"You already make your brother very, very happy, Sasuke; you know that, don't you?"

"He always says so, yes, but then he gets all weird and… spaces out, you know. It's almost scary at times. I don't know what is troubling him, but I want that to stop. Not for my sake, but for Itachi's," Sasuke begged.

"Very well. I'll do what I can, but I'll need your help too: I need you to continue being there for him. You are the one who brings him back when his thoughts go astray, and that means everything to him. He would give up anything just for you – for nobody else."

"How do you know that?"

"I'm Santa Claus, remember? I see you when you're sleeping and when you're awake…" The last part was said in a fitting singsong voice, and that made the ghost of a smile flit across the youngster's face.

"How could I forget…? Anyway; he is the best big brother there is and deserves only the best," Sasuke mumbled, faintly blushing as he said that. He overheard the suppressed squeals that came from Sakura and Ino.

"And he thinks the same of you," Santa chuckled and pinched Sasuke's cheek playfully.

Sasuke giggled and tried to ward the hand off when his eyes widened as he goggled at Santa.

"Oi, teme! Stop hogging Santa! Others wanna have a go too!" Naruto interrupted loudly, tapping his foot. A few others behind him were grumbling too.

"Shut up, Naruto," Ino and Sakura said in unison, though they sounded dreamy instead of annoyed.

Above them, Sasuke craned his neck to get a good look into Santa's eyes while covering the spot where he had been pinched with one hand. "…Itoko?!" he finally asked disbelievingly.

"Oops…" «Santa» sweatdropped.

"I **thought** that pinch felt kinda familiar! It was you all along!" Sasuke exclaimed, laughing.

"Caught in the act, kiddo. Listen, could you keep this a secret? You wouldn't want to go crush other people's beliefs, now, would you?" Shisui whispered, winking as he tried to shush the boy.

Sasuke was beaming like mad and shook his head. "I won't tell them. Hey, how long do you have to do this?"

"My shift ends in about an hour. Why, do you want to hang around until I'm done?"

"Yeah! I bet nii-san would be very happy to see you! Where is he, anyway…?" Sasuke trailed off, looking around for his brother.

"You go find him. Let's meet up in front of the store when I'm done, okay?"

"Yeah!"

Shisui flashed him a brilliant smile before fondly ruffling his hair in a very Itachi-like fashion. "See ya later then, sport."

"Bye, itoko!" Sasuke took care not to say the last part too loudly, then hopped off his cousin's lap and wandered off in search of Itachi. He dutifully ignored the rather universal sigh of relief that the other children breathed when he finally surrendered «Santa Claus» to them. In the meantime, Shisui took notice of Naruto's equally tricky wish of finally being accepted by the other villagers – and a never-ceasing supply of ramen to keep him happy forever. With Sakura and Ino, though, he was almost forced to interfere in their near-physical quarrels over a) who got to sit on Santa's knee first, and b) who deserved it more to be Sasuke's girlfriend. Shisui was royally amused, to say the least…

* * *

_Kachan_ = casual way of saying "mother" (okasan)

_Itoko_ = "cousin" in Japanese

Lol, Shisui as Santa Claus! XD The things my mind comes up with sometimes... _(sigh)_ The next chapter will take place right after this, so there will be no real timeskip or anything. Just so you know. And coming up then... how about a little game of hangman, kinda? _o_ k_ es. XP Can you guess it? Of course you can, I'm sure of that. Shisui will take his place beside Itachi and Sasuke as a main character in the next time, as an info for those of you who like him... _(hearts Shisui)_

Review, if you please! And for those of who from whom I won't hear anything before the next chapter is published: **MERRY CHRISTMAS**! I hope you'll get all the presents you wanted and will be able to spend a lovely time with your families! And whoever has a **White** Christmas can consider themselves double-lucky (whoever you are, I am jealous of you, I'll tell you that)!

Till next time, guys! Love ya all! ^_____^

_devotedtodreams_


	11. Literal and figurative sweetness

_(sigh)_ Now 2008 is almost over... somehow I can't really believe it. Time seemed to be standing still during summer vacation, and now all of a sudden, the year has almost reached its end. I'm really curious about how next year will be... you know, with the financial crisis and all... (but let's not get into that, now; I'm sure you've heard enough of it already, ne? ^^;)

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with lots of presents and everything that goes with it! Just for the record: I'm very happy with what I got, and the only thing missing are the doujinshi. Then my world will be complete! Eye-candy, come to me! :)))))

I'm happy with most of this chapter... except the last quarter. It's just not quite how I imagined it, but as usual, I hope it is satisfying anyhow.

Enjoy, my friends!

* * *

Sasuke almost ran into Itachi for the second time that day when the elder was about to leave the aisle in which he had been laughing his head off (though suppressing it as good as he could).

"Nii-san! There you are! Where were you?! Hey, you know Santa? I saw him! But it was actually Shisui!" Sasuke said excitedly, talking almost too fast for Itachi to understand everything.

"So I was right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, «you were right»? You mean you knew it all along?" Sasuke concluded, his jaw dropping.

"Yes… instant recognition, despite the fake beard and everything. Don't ask me how… I just knew, somehow." Itachi struggled to restrain a grin.

"Is that why you left?"

"People might have been scared to see me laugh in public," Itachi said in all seriousness.

Sasuke gave him a scrutinizing look. "…You're weird, nii-san. You shouldn't hide your laugh – it is anything but scary. I even think you should laugh more often."

Itachi smiled and shook his head. "Just when I think you can't be any more adorable, you prove me wrong…"

"What? What did I do?"

"It's not so much what you did, but what you **said**. Anyway; did you tell Shisui what you wish for?"

"Yeah, because I thought he was Santa, but I won't tell **you** what it is, otherwise it won't come true," Sasuke reminded him.

"Of course, otouto." _'There he goes again…'_

"Nii-san, I promised Shisui that we'd wait until his shift is done! In an hour, we're supposed to meet him in front of the store."

"An hour, you say?" Itachi thought about the time, then nodded. "I suppose haha won't call upon a search party if we stay away that much longer. Do you want to stay here and look around, Sasuke?"

"Are you kidding? No; I'd really prefer to go somewhere else… they'd be all over me otherwise," Sasuke grumbled, casting a look in the general direction of where the children were meeting Santa.

"«They»? I thought it was just «she»…"

"See, that's what happens when you leave me!" Sasuke stuck out his lower lip, and Itachi was confronted with yet another strong urge to sweep him into his arms and whisper sweet nothings into his ear until that pout, adorable as it was, would make way for his even more adorable smile. "This blonde girl came along, and they fought over who could be my girlfriend!"

"A little girl magnet, aren't you?" Itachi smirked, tousling his brother's bangs.

"I don't seem to have any say in it at all – I mean, it's not as if I **want** a girlfriend!" Sasuke complained, rolling his eyes. He continued to rant about it under his breath as the elder got to his feet and they headed for the door, Sasuke taking care to hide himself from view behind his aniki.

"Maybe not **now**, you don't… but someday, when you're a teenager like me, you might want exactly that. And you'd have no problem whatsoever finding one," Itachi remarked as they left the store.

Sasuke made a face at the heavy tone of voice his brother had and tugged at his hand to make him stop and face him. For a few seconds, they just looked at each other, oblivious of the bustling people around them. Then Sasuke took a deep breath and finally replied:

"Aniki… isn't it so that you should love a girlfriend, that you should kiss them and all?"

"That's completely correct, Sasuke."

"Then I don't want a girlfriend because I don't want to kiss anyone else but **you**. I feel at home wherever you are… sort of… it's hard to explain…" Sasuke struggled, carrying on.

There was no denying that this mini-confession made him feel delightfully warm inside, yet Itachi tried to remain rational: after all, he couldn't forget that Sasuke lacked experience with anyone else, so how could he know if he didn't want anyone else? Who could guarantee that Sasuke would still claim to want solely Itachi after kissing his pink-haired admirer, for instance? Itachi could tell by the tight feeling in his chest when he thought about such an occurrence that he would hate to see something like that, though. He remembered his conversation with Shisui, thanks to whom he had restated his claim that he "loved" Sasuke – that he might very well be "in love" with him instead. The fact that he was jealous by merely **thinking** of someone else touching his brother in an affectionate way was another proof that his feelings were so intense.

Now the only question was if he would talk it over with Sasuke now or if he would postpone it until the holidays were over. His decision was helped along by that anxious look in Sasuke's eyes; the boy's evident worry that his semi-successful explanation hadn't satisfied his sibling.

And so Itachi turned his back on the street and picked Sasuke up, though not bridal style. That might have quickly attracted too much unwanted attention… Not apt to waste more time than necessary, given their surroundings, he kissed Sasuke's forehead. Even as he drew back, he couldn't help but stay so close to the younger Uchiha that their noses were almost touching.

"I know what you mean, otouto; you mean just as much to me. And remember that although fancies can be fleeting and memories can fade away, my love for you is eternal. I would rather give up everything, **everything** else than my love for you."

There was that look in his eyes, the same look like when they had kissed while Sasuke had been in the bathtub. Sasuke caught himself wondering if Itachi had ever looked at anyone else like that – and if so, who. And even though he was still young, Sasuke was on his way of developing the same possessiveness that Itachi was realizing that he had.

"But you said nothing lasts forever," he replied, briefly playing with Itachi's bangs like the elder had done with his before too. He liked Itachi's hair; it was so long and so soft to touch. And when the sun shone on it, it was pleasantly warm too.

"Let's just say that I've undergone some thinking and have decided that perhaps you did have a point when you said that love lasts forever," Itachi justified himself and got an expectant gleam in his eyes when he noticed that Sasuke was just about to kiss him.

Perhaps they would have actually kissed then and there if someone hadn't suddenly tugged at Itachi's pants.

"Hmm?" he hummed, looking down to see a mischievous-looking blond.

"Hey teme, I thought you didn't like getting all the attention, dattebayo…"

"Teme…?!" Itachi repeated incredulously.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, slightly irritated that this beautiful moment with his brother had been ruthlessly destroyed.

"Why don't you turn around and see for yourself?" Naruto shot back. He was all but smirking, which gave Sasuke the impression that although his newly-found friend was slightly disappointed that the girls weren't after **him**, he did enjoy seeing Sasuke being unsettled by their already rapturous puppy love.

Shooting him a puzzled look, Sasuke turned around in Itachi's arms, and both brothers looked back at the store to see Ino and Sakura practically squishing their noses against the glass, trying to push each other out of the way while staring at Sasuke, transfixed. Itachi raised both eyebrows as he even got the impression that they might have very well been ogling something else besides Sasuke's hair and what little they had seen of his face when he had turned his head.

"Gah! Aniki, it's them!" Sasuke exclaimed, tensing up.

"Your admirers?"

Looking appalled, Sasuke nodded.

Itachi glanced back at the girls, who were just an inch away from drooling. "…Now I see why you don't want to wait here until Shisui comes."

"Hey, who are **you**, anyway, dattebayo? Do you have an instruction manual for that guy? I mean, who'd refuse all that attention?" Naruto asked, looking Itachi over critically.

"**I** happen to be his big brother, so I don't need such a silly thing as an instruction manual. And what gives you the right to call him –" Itachi began. He watched Naruto fidget as his eyes turned red with the Sharingan.

"Nii-san, can we go now?" Sasuke begged, trying to back away from the store even though he didn't get very far in his position.

Itachi tore his gaze away from the Jinchuuriki and put Sasuke down, though keeping an arm around his shoulders.

"Yes, let's be on our way. I will follow you wherever you go to, otouto." _'And that's not the only reason I shall be walking behind you,'_ he added darkly in his thoughts.

"Thanks," Sasuke muttered, and as his gaze returned once more to his first fangirls, he shuddered as if he were facing two giant cockroaches. When he saw them squeal (luckily, the glass muffled their voices quite a bit), he quickly turned around and hurried off, Itachi right behind him.

Naruto looked over his shoulder and felt rather forlorn: Ino and Sakura were hugging each other feverishly as if they had never had a catfight, and both were squealing at the top of their lungs:

"Sasukeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"

"…Guess I'm not needed here… as usual…" he muttered and shuffled away, kicking up snow as he went. Nobody paid any attention to him, least of all Ino and Sakura. Maybe Sasuke would have, but he was too busy escaping to another shop, shielded by his brother.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

An hour later, back in front of Konoha Mart (which was fangirl-free in the meantime), Sasuke was in the middle of reciting "The twelve days of Christmas" – all the while putting so much spirit into it that one could easily forgive a few off-key notes – when Shisui appeared beside them and took a deep breath, clearly enjoying the crisp, fresh air.

"Ah, free again! Say, was that «The twelve days of Christmas» that I just heard?"

"Haha always sings that song at Christmas, and Sasuke figured he would practice a bit so he could join in; isn't that so, otouto?" Itachi asked, winking at his brother.

Beaming, Sasuke nodded.

"Impressive… Most kids your age make at least one verse up entirely. Do you know all of it by heart, dear cousin?" Shisui asked.

"Yeah! Haha taught me the words last year, and I wrote them down so I could practice!" Sasuke clearly was proud of himself.

"Shisui, we're about to go home now. Don't you want to accompany us? Haha said she'd love to have you visit again," Itachi invited his best friend.

"If neither Mikoto nor you guys would mind me stopping by, why not? I did promise that I'd come over sometime again, after all," Shisui answered, gladly accepting the invitation.

The two brothers looked equally happy about that decision; Sasuke even cheered loudly. Then they began to head homewards, Sasuke walking between the elders and holding hands with each of them. Not apt to leave a job half-done, he asked if he could finish practicing the Christmas carol. Naturally, Itachi encouraged him to do just that, and Shisui even offered to join in – and so for a while, two merrily singing voices finished the song, leaving the silent one to indulge himself in the melody and enjoy one of the best walks ever. It was impossible to have a single bad or negative thought; not when he could lay eyes on so much happiness, especially when it came from his two favorite people.

"Say, Itachi, Santa didn't get to see **you**," Shisui remarked when the song was done. "Do you have nothing to say to him? No wishes you want to share with the good old man?"

"I thought he knows all about our wishes anyway," Itachi merely replied.

"You should write him a letter or tell him personally; even Santa can't read minds."

"Itoko, nii-san doesn't believe in him so much anymore anyhow," Sasuke defended his sibling.

"Ah, but he didn't say that he doesn't believe in him anymore **at all**, did he?" Shisui asked slyly.

"…No…" Sasuke admitted thoughtfully.

"Even you must have a wish of some sort, Itachi, eh?"

'_Aside from the impossible, you mean?'_ "Fine, fine; I wish for –"

"Nii-san, no!" Sasuke interrupted loudly, looking horrified. "Remember that if you say your wish out loud, it will never come true!"

"My bad, Sasuke. I shall hold my tongue now," Itachi laughed and briefly released the boy's hand to ruffle his hair. Sasuke giggled in that adorable way of his, then redirected his dazzling smile at Shisui.

"Itoko, how come you were dressed up as Santa Claus, anyway?"

"Good question; I thought you had lots of work to do," Itachi added.

"Hey, that **was** work! Even though work is seldom so fun – you know, listening to the children's wishes and seeing all those happy faces," Shisui grinned. "And besides, I was a volunteer too. Even Santa needs a couple of helpers."

"Are you gonna pass my wishes on to Santa, now?" Sasuke inquired eagerly.

"Sure. But I'll wait with that until I've asked Itachi too," Shisui replied slyly, eying Sasuke's brother with a look that said there was no way he would be able to avoid that.

Itachi sighed. "I'm not going to sit on your knee, Shisui. I think I'm a bit too old for that… and too big as well, perhaps."

"What are you babbling about? If you sit on my lap instead, everything will be fine. Just you wait."

"Oh, brother…"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Okasan, we're back," Itachi said when he and Sasuke went to greet their mother as soon as they returned.

"Welcome home, you two. How was the market?" Mikoto asked, turning away from something she had been working on.

"It was great! There were all sorts of things to see… Look, we found lots of new decorations!" Sasuke answered, offering her the bag with all their purchases.

"Oh, they look lovely! Thank you so much for getting them." Mikoto looked very pleased indeed.

"It really was a pleasure, okasan."

"Hey, and guess who we saw! Santa!" Sasuke told her.

"Ah, so you got to tell him personally about your wishes?"

"Yes! Except that it wasn't really Santa, but cousin Shisui instead!"

"Shisui?"

"That's right. Greetings, Mikoto-san," Shisui spoke up, entering the kitchen as well and bowing to his cousins' mother.

Mikoto sighed theatrically. "Every time you come over, it's the same thing… You don't need to address me so formally. Using nothing else but my first name is fine, ne, Shisui?"

"I just need to be sure every time. After all, if Fugaku-san were here, I wouldn't want him having my head just because I address his wife like my own mother," Shisui apologized, bowing again.

"I'd have a word with him – and you know that he thinks very highly of you, so you have nothing to worry about." She looked him over briefly before exclaiming: "And what a festive getup you have! All that is missing is the beard…"

Smirking and clicking his tongue repeatedly, Shisui waved a finger at her. "I wouldn't be a very convincing Santa without the beard, now, would I?" He opened his red coat and pointed to the beard he had stuffed into one of the inside pockets. "Sasuke was totally buying it."

"You blew your cover yourself by pinching me!" Playfully, Sasuke stuck out his tongue.

"But if I hadn't, you wouldn't have noticed; admit it."

"Fine, fine… but nii-san saw right through you! Nobody can deceive him!" Sasuke beamed at Itachi, clearly proud to call such a skilled brother his own.

"How **did** you know, anyway? As far as I'm concerned, I put up a pretty good act…" Shisui mock-pouted.

"Ask me something easier. I just knew it was you," Itachi shrugged.

"Boys, may I interrupt shortly?" Mikoto chimed in. "I'd understand if you're too tired from all the excitement of the market, but I wanted to ask anyhow if you would be interested in making cookies. I was just about to get started –"

"Yay, cookies! I'll help, I'll help!" Sasuke squealed, raising his hand like an eager pupil.

"Me too!" Shisui agreed, no less eager than the youngster. Mikoto smiled at them, then they all stared at Itachi.

The prodigy shifted and hinted a shrug. "Me three, I suppose," he answered jokingly.

"You can say no, Itachi, dear…"

"No, no, okasan; I'd be glad to help you, and I didn't invite my best friend over just to abandon him."

"I feel so loved!" Shisui commented with a fake sniff.

"Oh, knock it off," Itachi teased, elbowing him.

"I'll prepare everything, then you can get started right away. But don't forget to wash your hands first," Mikoto told them, turning back to the counter.

"Will do!" The three boys trooped to the bathroom and did as they had been told to, and when they came back, Mikoto was arranging the cookie forms and spreading flour on the table for them to work with.

"Oh boy, it has been a while since I last made cookies! The way kachan acts, you'd think all men are always destined to wreak havoc in the kitchen," Shisui said as they sat down.

"Really? We get to help haha every year if we want to," Sasuke replied happily.

"Lucky you. I really wish she'd be more tolerant of other family members in the kitchen… my sister would love to help too –"

"I thought she was suspicious about **men** in the kitchen," Itachi interrupted as Mikoto rolled out the dough.

"Meh, she still hasn't forgotten how imouto tried to kill a fly with my shuriken in the living room. And if you believe I got out of that unscathed, think again…"

"At least **she** wasn't being self-destructive with them…" Itachi muttered.

"I heard that, nii-san! I was still young!" Sasuke protested, seeing through that semi-cryptic reference to him.

"You still **are** young, Sasuke."

"But I don't use shuriken or kunai anymore to scratch myself when I have a really bad itch!"

"That's true…"

Mikoto couldn't stop smiling as she listened to their conversation. "Help yourselves, boys," she invited them when the dough was rolled out.

"Awesome!" Sasuke and Shisui said in response, each grabbing a cookie form and quickly coating it with flour before attacking the dough. Itachi followed suit, though in a more collected and mature manner.

Fairly quickly, the baking tray got filled with moons, hearts, stars, angels, trees and rocking horses. Mikoto even had to tell them to slow down a bit, otherwise she wouldn't be able to roll the dough out properly and provide new baking trays for them.

"Okasan, will there be many cookies?" Sasuke inquired.

"Enough, I suppose. It would be a shame to make too many and then throw them anyway, wouldn't you agree?" Mikoto answered, putting the first tray in the oven.

"Could we make a few more than usual this year?"

"What's on your mind, sweetie?"

"Well, I… I made a new friend today, and I thought… you know, I think he's pretty lonely, so maybe he'd like some too," Sasuke explained quietly.

"That's a lovely idea! I promise I'll put some aside for your friend. But we had better not let your father know about this…" She went to fetch the icing for the cookies.

"You're not talking about the same kid who called you «teme», are you?" Itachi wondered, looking doubtful about this plan.

"I called him «dobe» first, aniki, and I guess he's just the type who won't put up with something like that. It's not like he's a bad guy." Sasuke gave a careless shrug as he said that.

But Itachi wasn't so sure; he knew what Naruto's secret was, the secret the blond himself wasn't even aware of. The villagers said that he was a demon, not normal, not someone they could let their children play with without having second thoughts. This had been the first time Itachi had met Naruto in person, and although he tried not to be too prejudiced, he couldn't stop memories from resurfacing when he looked at the Jinchuuriki: memories of the destruction Kyuubi had brought upon Konoha. Grief, pain, war… things that occasionally still haunted his dreams. And yet… Sasuke seemed to be so happy to have finally found a friend who didn't belong to the clan, and he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell his younger brother about the demon fox.

"You know, Sasuke, even nicknames that are completely different from… I dunno, honeybuns and stuff like that –" Shisui grinned at the very skeptical look on Sasuke's face. "– can be regarded as a token of friendship."

"We were arguing at first, but I figured that since it's Christmas, we shouldn't be fighting."

"That's the spirit!" Shisui clapped him on the shoulder while wondering why Itachi looked so torn. He had guessed that he would be happy if Sasuke made new friends.

They soon were distracted by Mikoto, who handed them various sweet goods they could decorate the cookies with.

"But remember that it should still taste like a cookie and not like pure sugar," she reminded the youngest one of the trio in particular.

"Can I help it if all these things taste so good…?"

"You and your sweet tooth…" Mikoto giggled as the oven beeped shrilly.

"Damn, that smells good…!" Shisui sighed wistfully when the scent of freshly-baked Christmas cookies got even stronger when the oven was opened. His mouth was watering when the tray was set down directly in front of them.

"It is strictly forbidden to eat anything before the cookies are decorated and have cooled off!" Sasuke whispered, as he could tell that his cousin was longing to pinch one and pop it into his mouth, letting that seasonal delicacy practically melt on his tongue while a sweet, buttery taste filled his mouth… He faltered. Great. Now **he** wanted one too!

Mikoto took careful notice of how **two** pairs of eyes seemed to be glued to the cookies and **two** mouths were watering now. "Sasuke, remember what you said about your friend…" Just then, there was a knock at the door. Pursing her lips, Mikoto put her hand on Itachi's shoulder and said in a low voice: "Itachi, can I trust you to keep an eye on them? Eagle-eyes, even?"

"You shall not be missing a single cookie, okasan," her older son promised. Beside him, Sasuke and Shisui grinned at each other.

Not having seen that, Mikoto quickly put the next tray in the oven before hurrying to open the door.

"All right, let's get started. I'll do the glazing, and you two will follow. And remember… I'm watching you," Itachi threatened them playfully.

"Even you can't have your eyes everywhere," Shisui shot back, looking amused.

"Only if nii-san's asleep; otherwise it's almost as if he has eyes on the back of his head," Sasuke interjected. Itachi just smirked as he stirred the icing up one last time.

Shisui muttered something along the lines of "We'll see about that" before he and Sasuke followed Itachi as they worked on the cookies. The first tray went absolutely fine, and since Mikoto was either having an important or at least entertaining discussion with whoever was at the door, they even could get started on the second tray as well. And that was where distraction came in.

"Hey Sasuke, watch this! Here's how you get the job done quickly and get a little something for yourself!" he suddenly heard Shisui say. That tone of voice meant that they were in for trouble, Shisui-style. The next thing he knew, his hair was decorated with colorful sprinkles, like sweet confetti.

"That looks like fun, itoko!" Sasuke laughed, clapping his hands. "But you spilled so much…"

"That's the extra stuff – you shovel half of it back into the container, and the rest goes in your mouth!" Shisui demonstrated what he meant, his eyes becoming upside-down u's as he treated himself with the sweetness.

"Uh-oh… you got some in aniki's hair, too," Sasuke noticed.

"Huh? …Oops. Sorry, Itachi. But hey, you gotta admit that it's a nice contrast to your hair, ne?"

"When we're done with this tray, you're picking them out, my friend."

"Ah, I get it… sort of like delousing, but with sweets instead of lice? Just hold still, and I'll take care of everything for you." Shisui showed him thumbs-up.

Itachi opened his mouth to reply when he felt something drop onto his hand. Looking down, he saw that the icing had dropped off the brush, and now there was a splat of sweetness on his hand.

"Great…"

"**I'll** take care of that for you, nii-san! May I, may I?" Sasuke asked, giving his brother his best begging look.

'_Do I want him to take care of that for me?'_ Itachi smirked deviously. _'Of course I do.'_

"Since you asked so nicely, otouto…" Cleverly enough, he made the splat a bit bigger and spread it as he let the back of his hand "accidentally" touch the brush when he invited Sasuke to come a bit closer. Catching his cousin's attention, he mouthed: _"Perhaps you'd want to look away."_

To his slight surprise, all Shisui did was raise an eyebrow, and there wasn't time for anything else before Sasuke sat down beside Itachi and started to lick the icing off his sibling's hand. The faintest of sighs escaped Itachi's lips when the tongue made contact with his skin for the first time, and one could clearly see how he had to hold the brush a bit tighter in order not to drop it. Being ever the professional, though, he managed to keep a straight face most of the time, all the way until they had finished the tray. Shisui gave him a lot of credit for that. For the last few cookies, Itachi used a bit too much icing, and in a short, thick stream of sweetness, some of it trickled off the top of the cookie (the prodigy took notice of this, interested). By now, Sasuke was finished with "cleaning" his hand and proceeded to help Shisui with decorating again. But he soon found out that his older brother had other plans in mind.

"Do you want some more, Sasuke?" That tone of voice… it made him shudder slightly. Not because he was uncomfortable or scared; it just sounded so… so… sensual, he would have said, had he thought of that adjective just then.

"More, aniki?"

He looked up from the cookies to see Itachi offer him his left index finger. It was covered in icing. Sasuke smiled happily at Itachi, who was all but able to restrain his desires. And then, like before, he began to lick the icing off – while Itachi allowed himself to thoroughly enjoy this moment. It was making up for how he had been forced to contain himself at the market. He had been waiting for over an hour now to kiss Sasuke properly or spend the sort of quality time with him like they were doing now. He had warned Shisui, so now it was up to him if he wanted to heed that or not.

"Mmmmh… that was very good! Thank you, Itachi!" Sasuke said when the job was done once more. He licked his lips just to catch even the last bit. He had no idea what that was doing to his older brother, who was about to lean over and kiss away what still clung to those lips when Mikoto came back.

"You've already finished the second tray? My, that conversation must have taken longer than I thought…" She paused and noticed that Sasuke was removing the last bits of icing with his finger and licked it (much to the silent dismay of his older brother, who would certainly have welcomed a kiss that was even sweeter than usual). "Sasuke, you didn't eat one of the cookies already, did you?" There was a rather foreboding smile on her face.

"No, I didn't. I swear, okasan!" Sasuke defended himself, knowing that facial expression.

"He speaks the truth, okasan. I had just used a little too much icing on the last cookies, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to let him… lick it up," Itachi confirmed, of course not telling her exactly how Sasuke had done that.

And so: "How nice, dear. As long as it was just spare icing…" An unsuspecting Mikoto smiled at them.

The finished cookies were put aside to cool off, and before they began with the third tray, Mikoto sat next to Sasuke and asked him to tip some more flour onto the table while she rolled out a new helping of dough. Being such an overly enthusiastic little helper, Sasuke didn't perform the task as carefully as his mother did, and a white cloud got whirled up from the bag's spilled contents. Sasuke made a face, and his nose twitched.

"Aah… aah… aah…!"

Shisui and Itachi were sitting across from them now, and one prodigy was in the process of busily de-sweetening the other's hair. As a consequence, both of them noticed the impending "danger" too late.

"Ack! He's gonna blow!" Shisui exclaimed when he noticed Sasuke leaning back with that distinctive facial expression of someone who was about to sneeze; forcefully, too.

"Oh –" Itachi began, but it was too late:

"ACHOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Blinking and sniffing heartily, Sasuke looked up from where he had nearly hit the table with his forehead – and gawked.

From what he could tell, both Itachi and Shisui looked as if they had aged seventy years in just two seconds: the bangs that framed their faces were white, just like their eyebrows, and their skin looked even paler than before. Only their black eyes which bore a surprised expression indicated that their heads hadn't just masterfully been put in plaster. One of Shisui's hands was still buried in Itachi's hair, hunting for one of the colorful sprinkles.

Trying to make himself small as small as possible on the spot, he glanced at his mother, who had somehow managed to raise one hand to shield most of her face. Her expression could best be described as startled, unsurprisingly.

"I'm so sorry!" Sasuke squeaked, scooting away from the table and assuming a crouching position until his forehead actually touched the floor.

At first, nobody said anything at all, but then Shisui laughed. Timidly, Sasuke looked up and saw his cousin inspecting one of his now white bangs.

"Ha! Now I wouldn't even have to hide my bangs beneath my Santa hat anymore!"

Mikoto turned around and beckoned her younger son to return to the table. "Honey, don't be so upset… nobody's angry with you. Things like that can happen. But you do realize that you will have to take a bath before dinner, don't you?"

"Yes, okasan," Sasuke mumbled. Finally, he caught Itachi's eye, and his brother wiped the flour off his lips before saying just two words:

"Bless you."

Kami knew he meant that even aside from the usual response to someone sneezing.

Sasuke smiled coyly at him, but didn't say much for quite a while anyhow. He also worked extra carefully to silence his conscience. By the end of the fourth tray, though, when the conversation revolved around his fangirls, no remaining guilt could stop him from finally jumping in as well – and by the time they were done with most of the cookies and Mikoto sent Itachi upstairs to make sure that his brother took his bath, he was laughing and squealing as he fled from Itachi and Shisui as well, who were threatening to use their freshly flour-covered hands to see that justice was done to him for giving them a face-full of whiteness.

* * *

Sorry about "The Twelve Days of Christmas", but while I was writing this, "Creature Comforts" came on TV - and it was a Christmas special in which they slowly recited every verse of the song and had hilarious debates about why it's about partridges and all those other things that are mentioned! XD (I had to tape that, and as soon as work will be done again for this week, I gotta watch it agin - and on New Year's, it will have to be a classic: "Dinner For One". Yay! I always enjoy watching that with my family... ^^)

I hope you won't mind that I'll do one more chapter that revolves around Christmas - I do want to do a little something about Christmas Eve. And I'm sure you all would support it if Naruto got his cookies, ne? I'm not sure what I'll do about New Year's, though... it's really weird to be always be one step behind the holidays... _(sweatdrop)_

I'd be extremely happy if you'd give me one last review for this year! Other than that, all that is left to say is: **Happy New Year's, everybody! I hope 2009 will be a good year for each and every one of you!!!! **

See you next year!

_devotedtodreams_


	12. Christmas as it should be

Forgive my delay, folks... damn, it's weird to write about Christmas when the new year has already come! XD But that's typical for me... always being a step behind...

First of all, I hope you all had a very happy New Year indeed and that the first days of 2009 have been good! And especially if they have, I hope it will continue to be that way! ^_^

Secondly, prepare for a long chapter - but this is definitely exceptional, since this merely serves the purpose of getting at least most of the Christmas things out of the way. I guess I won't get around saying a couple of things about December 25th at the beginning of the next chapter, but then I shall continue with the new year in this story as well. To be quite frank, I've been thinking a lot about the things that still need to be written, e.g. the massacre, for instance. Music has really been inspiring me... so I hope this chapter turned out well even though my thoughts were dwelling on such sad outlooks.

Oh, and many, many, **many** thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! You're the best, guys!!!

**Warning:** probably very corny, lots of fluff... blame it on my idealistic fantasies when it comes to Christmas! ;)

* * *

Not even a week later, it finally was December 24th; a day that most children wished would pass by quickly so it would be morning again (while that was exactly what the adults were dreading because of the very early awakening).

In the second half of the morning, Sasuke donned his winter attire to steel himself against the bitter cold that would make you swear to have gotten frostbite after just a few minutes. At his feet, a dainty cookie tin wrapped in a nice self-created ribbon was waiting to be brought to a certain parentless blond.

"Don't stay away too long, sweetie, okay? Remember that Shisui and his family will be coming over later on," Mikoto reminded him, making sure that he didn't forget anything he needed to stay warm.

"I won't be too long, okasan," Sasuke promised, wrapping the scarf around his neck and putting on his gloves. Mikoto picked the tin up and gave it to him when he was ready.

"I do hope he'll appreciate this wonderful idea of yours. And tell him that I wish him a merry Christmas."

Smiling cheerfully, Sasuke nodded before venturing outside, out into the enchanting wonderland of whiteness, in search of Naruto.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

He had to nearly go to the other end of the village before he made a find. Yet looking for someone during the Christmas season was much more pleasant than usual, so it was without unease of any sort that Sasuke wandered around, searching for his new friend. He asked a few people if they could help him, but everyone gave him a look as if they wondered why on earth someone would actually be looking for the Jinchuuriki, seeking his presence. Sasuke wondered what the fuss was about, assuming that his guess about their attitude was right. So Naruto was a bit loud-mouthed, big deal. On the other hand, he was brimming with liveliness and cheerfulness, so why avoid him as if he were something one didn't want to step into?

After quite a while of fruitless searching within the crowd, Sasuke left most of the commotion behind him as he reached the lake in the village. A couple of people were gliding across its frozen surface, seemingly betting who could keep their balance the longest. None of them made any effort to invite the lonesome figure at the other end of the lake to join in. Noticing this, Sasuke realized that when he had guessed that Naruto probably was lonely, he has guessed correctly. It made him rather sad to see someone being excluded so deliberately, but before he let it get to him too much, he slid down the slope that led to the lake (so he could avoid the surely slippery stairs) and hurried right past the others. He could feel their unbelieving stares at his back when there was no doubt that he was heading for the blond they were avoiding. Sasuke didn't care – he was determined to make Naruto happy, and nobody would be able to prevent that.

"Hi Naruto!" he exclaimed when he was within earshot.

Surprised, Naruto looked up from something he had been drawing in the snow. "Sasuke! …What are you doing here, dattebayo?" he asked when his black-haired peer had reached him.

"I want to give you something so you can have a merry Christmas too."

Naruto flashed him a broad grin. "Why? I'm doing fine, it **is** a merry Christmas!"

Sasuke studied that grin critically and shook his head. "You're lying, Naruto. Why do you do that?"

"I'm not lying, dattebayo!"

"Yes, you are. Even though you are smiling… you are lying. How can you be happy? You're all by yourself."

"Is it **my** fault that no one wants to be with me? I don't know what I ever did to them, but…" Naruto trailed off, casting a remorseful look at the others who could enjoy one another's company. There was no need for him to finish his sentence.

"I don't know what their problem is; you do seem nice enough."

Sasuke was glad to see that his consolation was cheering Naruto up a bit, since the fox-boy's smile had returned.

"Thanks, Sasuke, dattebayo."

"Hey, we're friends, after all. Oh, and this is for you." He offered him the cookie tin.

"What's in there?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Cookies."

At the speed of light, the tin was snatched out of his hands as Naruto whooped happily. He had an extremely happy, almost crazed look in his eyes and was so eager to see if Sasuke really spoke the truth that his frantic attempts to remove the ribbon were in vain.

"Hey, watch it!" _Snatch_.

"Oi! What's the big idea, teme?!" Naruto exclaimed in dismay when the tin was torn out of his grasp. Sasuke was holding it out of reach in a protectiveness that utterly confused the blond.

"Watch it with the ribbon a bit, dobe! My mother made it herself, and it wasn't done like this!" He snapped his fingers to demonstrate what he meant. They stared at each other almost furiously for a moment, but then Sasuke sighed and brought the tin within Naruto's reaching distance again. "Look, just don't rip it apart like it's nothing, okay? She made this especially for you…"

Somewhat hesitantly, Naruto accepted the tin once again and regarded the beautiful ribbon thoughtfully. "…Gee, I didn't know your mother made this, dattebayo. Sorry… But why did she do this? She doesn't even know me… does she?" he added as an afterthought.

Sasuke shook his head and shrugged, answering: "No, she doesn't. All she knows is that you're my friend. And she likes to make people happy. She wishes you a merry Christmas, by the way."

Hearing that seemed to move Naruto quite a bit, and Sasuke had just begun to wonder if he would be confronted with an emotional outburst when he was hugged vehemently.

"Thanks, Sasuke. No one has ever done something like this for me before… and tell your mother that I thank her very much!"

"I will, Naruto," Sasuke promised, returning the embrace, glad that his idea was appreciated. Neither one of the two noticed the other children pointing at them and whispering on the quiet.

"Hey Sasuke, will you play with me for a bit, dattebayo?" Naruto asked excitedly when they broke apart.

"Oh, um… well, I would, but haha told me not to stay away too long… you see, my cousin's coming over…" Sasuke replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Aw… come on, just for a little while! Pleeeeeeeease?" Naruto begged.

"Well…" Figuring that it would really mean a lot to Naruto if he would agree to stay with him a bit longer, Sasuke agreed. "Fine. But just for a while, okay? I made a promise, after all –"

"Yay! C'mon, dattebayo! I'm sure you've never been on the frozen lake before!" Naruto cheered loudly, quickly half-burying the tin in the snow and putting his orange woolen hat on top of it so he would know for sure if it was still there or not before whirling around and dragging Sasuke to the lake.

"Not so fa– Ungh!" Sasuke grunted as he made a pancake landing on the smooth surface. Naruto had stayed on his feet and slid across the ice a few feet before turning around. He laughed when he saw Sasuke sprawled on the ice, and he laughed even harder when the young Uchiha struggled to get to his feet.

"I knew it! You've never done this before, ne, dattebayo?"

"Yes, I haven't! And if you hadn't gone so fast– Whoa!" Sasuke flailed about when he lost his balance almost as soon as he had wobblingly got to his feet again, and this time he landed on his rear.

"You know what? Stay right there! I'll teach you how to stand up later…"

"Why, what on earth are you doing now? Dobe! No, wait…" Sasuke just couldn't seem to finish his sentences, for he cried out in surprise when Naruto grabbed his shoulders and gave him a hard push, sending him sliding across the ice on his backside. But he wasn't alone: the blond held on to him, laughing out loud. The force of the push sent them halfway across the lake, and by the time they stopped, Sasuke's surprised outcry had become a laugh as well, and when it was over, he clapped his hands happily.

"That was fun!" he exclaimed.

"I know, dattebayo! Wanna do it again?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Yeah!"

"Gotcha!"

And one hearty push later, they were off again, laughing as if they wouldn't live to see another equally joyful day. The other children scattered when the duo came their way, but at this point in time, both Sasuke and Naruto were too caught up in having fun to take much notice of that. Time itself lost its importance for them, and they temporarily forgot everyone around them. Naruto forgot those who scorned him for reasons he wasn't aware of, and Sasuke… Sasuke forgot his promise.

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For once, Itachi thought, he could really claim that he wasn't thinking about anything as he sat out back, jacket-less as usual and chipping away at the block of ice that had formed around the Christmas tree's trunk. Mikoto insisted on never bringing the tree inside before the 24th, since that would ensure that it lived longer once it was inside, thus they would be able to admire it a little longer. The whole business about preparing the tree to be brought inside and actually dragging it around was actually Fugaku's job, but he was still busy with fetching the large box with the numerous ornaments, so Mikoto had asked Itachi instead to remove the block of ice. Now here he was, kneeling on the cold floor and working on the ice with a kunai. Fugaku, not one who welcomed the Christmas spirit per se, tended to go about that job in a rather hasty, almost brutal fashion, but Itachi took his time, and now the trunk was still practically undamaged.

"Itachi, dear, have you prepared everything for Shisui and his sister?" Mikoto asked when she passed by the slightly open door. She was constantly on the move, undergoing last-minute preparations before their visitors would arrive. It was this one time of the year when even her almost endless patience could quickly run thin.

"Yes, okasan," Itachi answered, not even looking up from his work.

"If only your father would hurry up with those decorations… suppose I should get a few smaller boxes instead of one big one…?"

"There's still plenty of time before Shisui arrives, so you shouldn't be stressing yourself so much," Itachi advised her.

"That's what everyone says before there's suddenly too little time left… Oh, and by the way: has Sasuke returned in the meantime?"

"No…"

Mikoto sighed. "He promised he wouldn't stay away too long… Itachi, when you're done with the tree, could you go see if you can find him? He's been away awfully long, considering that he just wanted to hand out some cookies."

The prospect of looking for his treasured little brother brought a small smile to Itachi's face. "It's as good as done, okasan."

"Thank you, honey. Oh, and do put on a jacket, otherwise you'll catch a cold." She shuddered after having stood at the door for that little while and rubbed her arms a bit as she retreated back to the kitchen.

Itachi wisely waited until she was out of earshot before he heaved a sigh and muttered: "And she thinks **this** is cold…"

Thinking about Sasuke again, he actually hurried up a bit, though still taking enough care not to damage the poor tree's trunk like his father tended to do. As soon as he was done, he quickly went to put on enough winter clothes so his mother wouldn't end up making a fuss and then left the house before his father would get the idea of having him help set up the tree. Itachi made himself scarce whenever that part of the preparation was due: the task, simple as it may be, was often accompanied by lots of yelling and cursing for as long as Itachi could remember. He could even recall his grandfather saying on the Christmas before Kyuubi attacked, when Fugaku for once hadn't been supporting his weight with both feet equally and thus not standing straight:

"_Son, you have to be straight before you can determine if the tree is straight."_

Especially now, Itachi didn't want to chance hearing something like that from his father if his suspicion was correct and the man suspected something going on between him and Sasuke. And so it was with the sneakiness of a true ninja that he left his home to escape possible innuendos.

Of course, since Itachi didn't know where he had to look for Naruto – he was looking for him because he was fairly sure that wherever the blond currently was, Sasuke could be found as well – it took him almost as long as his little brother to find him. And even when he did, he couldn't just barge in to take Sasuke home, even though that was what Mikoto wanted.

From where he stood at the top of the thinly ice-coated stairs, he had the perfect overview of the lake. As if an invisible line had been drawn across the middle of the frozen water, a bunch of kids were "ice-skating" on one side while only two boys were enjoying themselves on the other side. Naruto and Sasuke were playing tag on the ice. Their voices rang through the air, and Itachi thrust his hands into his pockets as he listened to them.

"C'mon, is that the best you got, dattebayo?!"

"Ha! I'll get you! You'll see!"

"Nyah nyah! Slowpoke!" Naruto teased, waggling his fingers and sticking out his tongue.

"You won't be so cocky anymore when I catch you, dobe!" Sasuke threatened him playfully, trying hard to keep his balance while he chased after his friend.

"Ha! Wanna bet you can't take me down, teme?!"

"I bet I can!"

Clearly feeling overly confident, Naruto quickly turned around and reached out as if he were about to take a bull by the horns. Being faced with this challenge, Sasuke tried to pick up more speed without falling down again, and a moment or two later, they clashed, their fingers entwining and their noses almost being squished against each other as they tried to take one another down. Suddenly, one of Sasuke's feet slipped, and with a whoop of surprise, he made yet another pancake landing. A strangled gasp escaped his lips when a weight collapsed on his back. For a few seconds, both boys were in a slight shock over their sudden and certainly unplanned downfall, but then they burst out laughing.

"Sorry… you alright, dattebayo?" Naruto asked, slightly breathless from all the laughter.

"Sure." Sasuke squirmed, trying to escape Naruto's weight, and when the blond moved, he had enough space to turn around. Their current position could easily be described as suggestive, but neither one of them had second thoughts about it. "Told you I'd take you down," Sasuke remarked with a wink.

"Only because you slipped and clung to me…"

"Otouto, are you alright?" a concerned voice asked.

"Ah!" Sasuke turned around again and beamed at the sight of his brother. "Aniki!" He scrambled to get up, but couldn't do so before Naruto got up as well. The Jinchuuriki even helped to set the young Uchiha on his feet again and gave him a careful push that sent him straight to the edge of the lake, where Itachi spread his arms to welcome him. Naruto idly sidled up to them as they gave each other a short welcome hug.

"Naruto, I don't think you know my brother yet… this is Itachi," Sasuke said proudly.

"Oh yeah… I asked him if he has an instruction manual for you…" Naruto replied sheepishly, scratching his head.

"Why? There's no such thing as manuals for people…"

"Well, since you refuse all the attention, dattebayo…"

"I don't need **their** attention." Instead of elaborating any further, Sasuke just inched a bit closer to Itachi, who put an arm around him. The action spoke for itself, and even Naruto, who tended to be rather dense concerning nonverbal hints, understood that for Sasuke, Itachi's attention was what he wanted.

"Sasuke, haha was wondering where you were…" the older Uchiha said, explaining his sudden appearance.

Shock overshadowed Sasuke's joy, and he jumped. "Oh no, I forgot the time! I hope she isn't angry!"

"No, but you know her – she's rather stressed, and she wants you to be there when Shisui's family arrives."

"I know, I know; I just got carried away while I was playing," Sasuke apologized.

"That's alright. But we should go now before she sends chichi after us."

"You're right. Sorry, Naruto, but I must go now," Sasuke told his friend.

"It's okay. Thanks for playing with me for a while, dattebayo!" Naruto grinned.

"It was lots of fun. We should do that more often."

The overjoyed smile that graced Naruto's features when he heard that made Sasuke be absolutely sure that his plan had added up, that he had truly succeeded in making Naruto happy. His token of gratitude for that was a bear hug. A rather remorseful thought crossed Sasuke's mind, and just before the embrace was broken, he whispered:

"I wish I could invite you to our place… you shouldn't have to be alone. Especially not at Christmas."

He felt Naruto's grip loosen, and now it was the other who was trying to cheer him up.

"That's okay, Sasuke. You gave me cookies and played with me… what more could I ask for?"

'_Someone to celebrate with, for instance,'_ Sasuke thought.

"Don't worry, otouto – I have a feeling that everything is going to be alright," Itachi whispered into his ear.

"You do, aniki?"

"Mmh-hmm. Greetings, Iruka-san," the elder spoke, straightening up again.

And indeed; a certain brown-haired chuunin had approached them. Sasuke and Naruto, engrossed in their conversation, hadn't noticed him.

"Greetings to you too, Itachi-san. And if it isn't Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun… are you ready for Christmas?" he asked them. It was easy to tell that he was a Christmas person as well.

"We are," the two boys answered in unison, though Naruto's voice almost drowned out Sasuke's.

"Naruto-kun, I was wondering if you would accompany me."

"Why? What did I do, dattebayo?" Naruto asked, slightly suspicious. People hardly ever approached him, and when they did, they usually didn't have something positive to say.

"You didn't do anything, don't worry. But am I right in assuming that you are always up for some… ramen?"

Naruto's blue eyes became twice their size and sparkled brilliantly when he heard that magic word. "Iruka… Iruka-san…"

The one in question merely gave a genuine smile in response, and Naruto realized that this wasn't just a dream, that he could actually be someone's guest at Christmas. As he jumped up and down, whooping with joy, Sasuke heaved a sigh of relief and looked up at Itachi, who couldn't help but smile at the scene too.

"Are you more at ease now, Sasuke?" he inquired quietly.

The boy nodded, too happy to find words just then. Naruto proceeded to hastily dig his cookie tin out of the snow, and then they could finally say goodbye properly.

"Merry Christmas, Naruto."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Sasuke. And thanks again for the cookies, dattebayo!"

"It was nothing…"

And so their ways parted: Naruto holding Iruka's hand and trying to convince him to have a cookie as well, and on the other hand, Sasuke and Itachi, who all too gladly listened to his little brother rambling about all the fun he had had with Naruto. It was only when Sasuke happily talked about them becoming "best friends, maybe even best friends forever" that a pang of conscience briefly overcame him…

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Two hours later, Shisui and his family arrived. They were greeted with apparent enthusiasm from pretty much everybody except for Fugaku, who strictly stayed true to the guideline that ninjas shouldn't show emotions. Positive ones weren't his strong suit anyway.

"Long time no see," Shisui joked as he gave Itachi a welcome squeeze.

"Oh yes, we've got **so** much to catch up on," Itachi retorted, returning the sarcasm right away.

"Hi, itoko!" Sasuke tugged eagerly at Shisui's shirt.

"Ah, if it isn't my favorite little rascal! I hope everything's A-OK with you…" Of course, Shisui couldn't resist greeting his other cousin in his very own way, and this time he even took the liberty of pinching both of Sasuke's cheeks. Half-hearted attempts were made to swat his hands away, and Sasuke giggled.

"Couldn't be better."

"Hey, nii-san, don't keep him all to yourself! Hi Sasuke!" a girl squealed and practically bowled Sasuke over. Even during the minor tumult, the younger Uchiha managed to breathe a sigh. How could he have been so foolish to let his guard down when he knew perfectly well that Shisui's younger sister was coming along too? She had the iron grip of a crazed fangirl, her brother's carefree spirit and the liveliness of Naruto. In short: she was a handful.

"Missed me, Sasuke? Wow, I haven't seen you in such a long time! Nii-san might not have much to catch up on, but **we** do! This will be the best Christmas ever!"

"Natsuko… can't… breathe…!" Sasuke panted. He supposed this was what a beached fish must feel like.

"Kachan, tochan, can you say hi to Sasuke now so we can go play? Please, please, please?"

"Now, now, darling, calm down before he turns blue," Kasumi, Shisui's mother, said as she carefully pried Sasuke out of Natsuko's grip. "Hello, Sasuke-kun. My, you definitely have grown since I last saw you…"

"It's… nice to see… you too… Kasumi… san…" Sasuke managed to say as he caught his breath again. While Kasumi exchanged a few quiet, but certainly scolding words with her overexcited daughter, he briefly greeted Shisui's father, Saburou, as well. No sooner was he done when he got dragged to the backyard by his same-aged cousin. To his dismay, neither Itachi nor Shisui followed as the adults presumably had asked them to stay behind for a while so they could have some "boring grown-up talk", as Natsuko called it when he tried to persuade her to wait for their brothers.

Out back, the first thing she did was run up to Sasuke's still-standing snowman, admiring it.

"Wow, what a good snowman! Did you build it yourself, Sasuke?" she asked, circling it like a predatory animal, inspecting it from all sides.

"Yeah. I made it for Itachi."

"Why didn't you ask him to help you? **I** would have asked nii-san…" she replied thoughtfully.

"He was on a mission. This was my «welcome back» snowman," Sasuke explained.

"Ooh…" She paused, then really seemed to spaz. "Can we play a game now? Can we, can we? How about a snowball fight? Free for all!"

"Um… sure…" Sasuke sweatdropped and backed off a bit. Her excitement was just about to top Naruto's, even though he had thought that that was impossible.

"Yay! Now beware, itoko, because I have a good aim!" She was already eagerly making a snowball. Sasuke remembered Shisui talking about her trying to kill a fly with shuriken – and apparently missing a lot, otherwise her mother wouldn't treat her with the same suspicion like she treated the men. Maybe she was just exaggerating about her aim–

_Splat_.

The snowball hit him square in the chest. And whoever thought girls couldn't throw hard would have to admit that they were wrong if they had experienced this throw from Natsuko Uchiha. A practically **hyper** Natsuko Uchiha, to be precise. Sasuke quickly ran for cover, seeking refuge behind the tree at which he had once flung a shuriken to prove to Fugaku that he wasn't an absolute beginner when it came to that weapon. Luckily, it did the trick, though quite a few snowballs narrowly missed the trunk, whizzing past his face. Sasuke wondered how someone could possibly make so many snowballs that fast **and** throw them so almost-accurately.

'_I might just be doomed,'_ he concluded, carefully bending over to make a first snowball of his own and wondering when on earth he could return the fire without getting hit again, perhaps even right in the kisser; having gotten a taste of her accuracy, he wouldn't exactly put it past her to aim that well…

Almost three-quarters of an hour later, Itachi and Shisui were finally free to leave the house, and their rather grave expressions quickly vanished from their faces when they found a still raging snowball fight in the backyard. Sasuke's poor snowman had been slightly disfigured: it looked as if an arm had been amputated and its nose had gotten blast off. Then again, it **was** caught right between the fronts…

Sasuke noticed the two elders first, and he cried triumphantly:

"Nii-san, you're here! Ha! Now the tables will be turned, Natsuko!"

"Being optimistic all of a sudden, eh? Well, don't forget that **my** brother is here as well!"

"I think that's our signal. Off to war, then," Shisui grinned, rubbing his hands gleefully, clearly looking forward to this welcome change after the prior discussion.

Itachi nodded, raising his eyebrows. "May the best man win."

"May the best **team** win, you mean."

"The best team, yes, of course…"

They counted to three to give each a fair start, and when they joined their siblings, things got even more heated up. Soon, the air really was thick with flying snowballs while Sasuke shed an imaginary tear each time his snowman had to suffer the consequences of a badly thrown snowball. But since he by now knew that his mother had taken a picture of it in all its glory, he would always be able to look at it again, even if would get horribly disfigured.

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As one could easily imagine, all of them were soaked by the time they finally had enough and went back inside, leaving a snowy battlefield behind them. Their mothers took one short look at them before asking of them to take either a shower or a bath before changing into new, dry clothes. Apparently, both of them showed equal concern for their children's "bad" habit of having a snowball fight without putting on jackets…

After preventing his sister from flooding the bathroom in her ongoing excitement while wondering where on earth she got all that energy from, Shisui was busy helping Natsuko change into a spare shirt and her white skirt with the sewed-on red frills, which she traditionally wore at Christmas. They were in Sasuke's room: unbeknownst to his parents, Itachi had made some slight changes to the sleeping arrangements they had in mind. Instead of him and Shisui sharing a room, he had told his cousin that if it was alright, he would prefer to share his room with Sasuke while Shisui and Natsuko would occupy the one of his younger brother.

"Sure, why not? If it makes you happy…" Shisui had chuckled upon getting informed about that change of plans.

"Scratch the «if»; you **know** that would make me happy," Itachi had retorted.

"True, true… and just think about how happy that will make **Sasuke**…"

Itachi had chosen not to make a prediction just then, and when he had told his sibling about the arrangements, Sasuke had clung to him, grinning from ear to ear, and didn't let go until Itachi literally stood in front of the bathtub. Shisui had laughed his head off upon seeing Itachi cross the hallway like that.

Now all essential baths and showers had been taken, and Itachi was sitting on his bed, waiting for Sasuke to come back from the bathroom. When the younger Uchiha strode into view, the first thing he did was yawn while rubbing at his eyes a bit. Since it was just a small yawn, little more than a mewl escaped his lips as he did so, but even that noise was all it took for Itachi to want to kiss him senseless in a nonverbal praise of his cuteness. He wanted to kiss him in a silent way of expressing all his love for him, but Itachi actually doubted that one touch would be able to mirror his feelings for Sasuke. Or maybe he doubted that he would be able to muster all the necessary tenderness and passion. It was there, within him, undoubtedly, but assuming he would manage to perfectly express himself in such a manner, he wanted Sasuke to understand. He wanted Sasuke to know what this was about. No more «kiss now, explain later» scenarios; it would be perfect when Sasuke knew more about «being in love» and could talk about it. But it was still too early to be dreaming of such a situation; the fact remained that Sasuke was six and he was eleven. It was a rare occasion on which Itachi truly thought that reality did bite.

"Sasuke, you're not going to fall asleep on me, now, are you?" he asked, keeping a straight face despite the thoughts that were running through his head.

"But nii-san, I **am** tired… I mean, first Naruto, now Natsuko…" Sasuke shook his head as he sat down beside Itachi.

"I know this was and still is an exciting day for you, but if you fall asleep now, you won't be able to do so when it's really time for bed. And you know what they say about… about Santa…"

"He doesn't come if you're not asleep," Sasuke finished the sentence for him.

"Precisely."

"Can I at least take a nap for a while?"

"Perhaps that can be arranged. However, there is something you should take notice of first."

"What is that, aniki?"

Itachi merely pointed upwards, and Sasuke looked up at the ceiling only to discover a twig of mistletoe. It had been fastened to a shuriken, which his brother had obviously flung at the ceiling, knowing that it would get stuck there from the get-go. A pink hue adorned his cheeks as he looked back at Itachi, who smiled at him in a way that would have made any girl in Sasuke's place faint on the spot.

"My otouto… I love you so much…" he whispered as he drew ever closer, and when he no longer felt the youngster's warm breath as the boy was holding it in anticipation, he added even more quietly: "…More than you can imagine…" And before Sasuke could ask what that was supposed to mean (presuming that he had heard it) he kissed him – and the world around them ceased to exist.

Itachi savored each and every kiss he shared with Sasuke, but this one was really, really special. That mixture of tenderness and passion… of love and adornment… dare he call it perfect? But there was something else too, something he could neither quite grasp nor explain… He granted Sasuke a split second to catch at least some of his breath before he moved in again, welcoming the softness of the younger one's lips. This sensation he couldn't explain… Itachi gave up trying to logically define it and simply decided that it was a pinch of Christmas magic, the only type of magic he allowed himself to believe in. If there was such a thing as heaven on earth, then this might as well be it.

Slowly but gradually letting his kisses become a bit more forceful, a bit more passionate and demanding, Itachi put his hands on Sasuke's shoulders as if wanting to ensure that the youngster couldn't go away even though there was nothing that could have made Sasuke want to escape. Moaning a bit as he noticed how Itachi's kisses changed somewhat, he dug his fingers into his brother's shirt. It was all for the sake of support, but as if he had given another signal by doing that, he noticed how Itachi applied more pressure to his shoulders until he ended up lying down on the sheets – like back when Itachi had returned after Fugaku's "lesson", only this time, Itachi was on top. Oxygen was beginning to be a problem for them, yet their kissing became more feverish, more eager – almost desperate – and Itachi's hands left his shoulders, slowly traveling down his sides, the touch teasing him even through the fabric of his shirt, and–

Childish laughter could be heard from the hallway, and practically in the same second, the door to Itachi's room was opened with a clatter, and Natsuko stormed inside like the little whirlwind she was. Spotting the two brothers, however, she froze in mid-run and stared at them for several seconds before blushing bright red and looking down at the floor, shuffling her feet. Like Sasuke too, she still was innocent concerning love and all that came with it, but she did somehow know that she had intruded on something private.

"Imouto, not so fast– Hoo boy!" Shisui exclaimed when he entered the room as well, having chased after his sister. "Um… pardon our intrusion, but a certain someone was overcome with a sudden desire to ask if you wanted to play a game before dinner…" He shot a mildly reprimanding look at Natsuko, who shrugged, but remained flustered all the same.

Itachi's lips had left Sasuke's almost as soon as their divine moment had been shattered, but he still remained within kissing distance of his special someone as he watched Shisui enter the scene as well. Now he looked down at the panting boy and asked, slightly out of breath himself:

"What do you say to that, otouto? It would help to keep you awake." _'And so did this, I daresay,'_ he thought as he noticed how this different sort of excitement had chased away most of the fatigue in the other's black eyes.

"You're probably right… okay…"

Suddenly, all of them froze when they heard someone coming up the stairs. Suspecting the worst, Itachi quickly sat upright again, giving Sasuke enough space to sit up as well, and Shisui quickly began to fan Itachi, who after all was rather heavily pink in the face.

"Imouto, quick, do the same with Sasuke!" he hissed.

"Right!" Looking anxious to make up for her barging in, Natsuko eagerly began to fan Sasuke, who even leaned back a bit to avoid her hands making contact with his face.

A moment or two later, Saborou appeared in the doorway.

"I am supposed to tell you that dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes, okay?" Noticing what his children were doing, he paused, giving them a scrutinizing look. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Um… we…"

"Well…"

"You see…"

They were all trying to come up with an excuse at once, and Saborou raised an eyebrow.

"I told them a really funny joke, and they were laughing so hard!" Shisui suddenly burst out, wanting to put an end to the suspense. "And… uh… we didn't open the window so our mothers wouldn't get worried again that we'd catch a cold!"

"…I… see…" Saburou said slowly. It was completely evident that he didn't believe his son, but for the sake of this special holiday, he considered the matter closed. "Whatever. Just remember: fifteen minutes."

"Gotcha."

The man left, and the four young Uchihas heaved a universal sigh of relief.

"You're a bad liar," Itachi commented.

Shisui shrugged rather helplessly. "Well, I'm more used to telling the truth… and you wouldn't have wanted me to tell him that you were…" Noticing that his sister was all ears, he cleared his throat before continuing: "…you know, doing your thing."

"Don't get me wrong… I'm glad you covered up for us…"

"Doing your thing… hmm… you mean how they were… kissing?" Natsuko asked curiously.

Shisui was about to answer when Sasuke did that for him: "Don't tell anybody, okay? Especially not our parents. They wouldn't understand."

"How do you know that?" she asked, sitting down in front of the bed, looking up at him like a little kid looking up to a wise old man telling a story.

"Because nii-san said so, and I trust what nii-san says," Sasuke answered, smiling at his brother. Itachi tousled his hair affectionately in return.

"Oh." Natsuko considered that for a moment, then said brightly: "A very good reason! Big brothers are the best, ne, itoko?" She held out her hand palm-up.

Sasuke grinned and gave her five. "The best!"

Sniffing, Shisui sat down next to Itachi, who couldn't really determine if that sniff was exaggerated or not – probably because he was very close to reacting like that as well.

"Aren't they just the cutest angels?"

"A blessing to us all, my friend…"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Christmas dinner was a peaceful ordeal, which surprised Itachi and Mikoto in particular. More often than not, Fugaku found something he could rant about, and sadly enough, neither of them would have been too surprised to hear him discuss certain affairs that were thorns in his side. But he said nothing of the sort, luckily. In fact, he didn't say anything that could have a negative impact on the high spirits that were in the air, so the whole evening went by with perhaps only a minor little argument or two here and there. They sat together around the Christmas tree, reminisced about the year that was almost over and exchanged what they wished for the others in the upcoming year. After a while, it was Sasuke's time to shine, even if it wasn't exactly in the way Fugaku wanted it to be: Mikoto proudly told the others about how he had diligently practiced "The twelve days of Christmas" and would like to grace them with that song. Fugaku shifted in his chair, scowling ever so slightly (compared to his usual expression), but a warning glance from his wife told him that if he knew what was good for him, he wouldn't say a word.

It was an enchanting duet, to say the least. Although Sasuke knew both the words and the melody, he was glad that his mother helped him out with the five gold rings. Mikoto was practically glowing with pride and adoration for her younger son, but the same could easily be said for Itachi as well. Even though he was sitting next to his father, he couldn't help but lose himself in the innocence of his brother. The sparkle in his eyes, the melody and words sung with his voice and that adorable bout of nervousness he showed because this was the real thing and not a mere practice anymore… it was to die for. He had sworn to enjoy this Christmas as if it were his last, and that included not giving a damn if someone caught him watching Sasuke – after all, the others were doing the same too. To pretty much everyone's surprise, he even contributed a line to the song: it was sung not only once, but twice, but in the second go, they went around in circles as they recalled all the things this one true love was giving.

"On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… seven swans a-swimming," Mikoto sang, prompting the others.

"Six geese a-laying…"

"Five gold rings…" Little Natsuko did her best to sing as beautifully as Mikoto and her own mother, and Shisui gave her shoulder a congratulating pat when she was done, which made her beam like mad.

"Four colly birds…"

"Three French hens…"

Then it was actually Fugaku's turn, but he was far from being enough in the spirit to make a worthy contribution. He grunted, signaling that they wouldn't hear anything else from him. Mikoto gave him a stern look, but then Itachi took over:

"Two turtle doves…"

Everyone stared at him, and it was with an expression of awe that Sasuke finished that verse: "And a partridge in a pear tree."

And thus the song was saved and a possible conflict was avoided. Once again, Itachi was a hero – at least to Sasuke, he was.

A little more than an hour later, Sasuke and Natsuko in particular were asked to go to bed.

"Aw man… nii-san, will you come with me? Will you read me the story again? Please, please, pretty please?" Natsuko begged, tugging at her brother's sleeve.

"All right, all right, I'll come, don't worry," Shisui laughed.

"You read her a story?" Sasuke asked as they went upstairs. He hadn't even needed to ask Itachi to come along; dutifully ignoring the rather disgruntled look of their father, the prodigy had willingly left the adults to themselves.

"You bet. I read her «The Night Before Christmas»… are you sure you're not tired of that yet, imouto?" he inquired with a theatrical sigh.

"Don't be silly, nii-san… I brought the book along, so why would I do that if I wouldn't want to hear it?" Natsuko laughed.

"Touché…"

"Will you read it to me as well, itoko?" Sasuke pleaded, making use of the puppy-eyes, just in case.

"Sure; why not? If that is what you want…"

"Yay!"

They went straight to Sasuke's room, where Shisui waited until his sister had fetched the book and lain down before he sat down on a chair beside the bed. At the foot of the bed, Itachi sat down tailor fashion, and once his little brother was sitting on his lap, he wrapped his arms around his middle in a tender yet possessive embrace.

"Ready, everyone?" Shisui asked, opening the book. Nods from the other three. "Okay… 'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…"

He read it very well – he did have plenty of experience, after all – and although Sasuke and Natsuko started out with listening attentively, like all children, they eventually got drowsy. Their eyelids drooped as they began to nod off, and Natsuko yawned first, soon followed by Sasuke. He was feeling so comfortable that he wished these moments would never end: spending the best Christmas ever with his brother and his cousin's family. In addition, Itachi was rocking him back and forth a bit to make him even sleepier. With success. By the time Shisui was done, he was really just about to fall asleep.

"…But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight: «Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night»," Shisui finished quietly before noiselessly closing the book. He looked up to see his sister make herself a bit more comfortable on her pillow, her eyes already closed and a small, happy smile on her face. Turning his gaze on his cousin, he saw that Itachi was holding an equally sleepy Sasuke.

"Thank you, Shisui. That was wonderful," Itachi whispered. "I'll go put Sasuke to bed now."

"Okay. See you in a bit."

Itachi nodded and carefully repositioned Sasuke so he could pick him up bridal style. Leaving Shisui to say goodnight to his sister, he silently exited the room and brought Sasuke to his room, where he tucked him in. Opening an eye that was bleary with sleepiness, Sasuke mumbled:

"Nii-san…"

"Ssh. Go to sleep, Sasuke," Itachi quietly told him, brushing a bang out of his sibling's face.

"Don't stay up… too long… or else Santa…" Sasuke yawned, hardly able to stay awake any longer.

"Or else he won't come." The tables were turned as this time it was Itachi who finished that sentence. "I know. I'll just be a little while longer, okay?"

"Mmh. Merry Christmas, nii-san…" Sasuke muttered, his words barely audible anymore.

"Merry Christmas, otouto." Softly, Itachi kissed his cheek before adding in a whisper right next to Sasuke's ear: "I love you."

A faint hum was all he got in response, but he didn't need anything more. He lightly caressed the boy's hand lightly once more, then he crept out of the room and rejoined the adults with Shisui. But even though he was downstairs, most of his thoughts along with his heart remained upstairs in his room, where later on, after placing his presents underneath the tree, he would ever so carefully get into bed beside Sasuke and tenderly embrace him before falling asleep as well, lulled to sleep by the warmth and pure contentment he felt that made him relax completely.

* * *

Eheh... I take full responsibility for everything that either was unfitting or didn't make sense in this chapter! Aside from that, I do hope you liked it! Reviews are greatly appreciated!

Aw cripes, tomorrow... _(looks at clock)_ ...today, in fact (-.-), I already gotta go to work again. Bummer. I sure love holidays... I'll miss staying up until 3 am, writing and reading! ;D

Lol, we had this decoration downstairs for New Year's Eve... you know these sparkly things you sometimes get with a cocktail you order? They look like sparkling palms, kinda... that decoration consisted of six or seven of those things attached to a string. I was so happy and totally spazzed for reasons I can't quite explain, and I started playing with it... then my bro came along and saw me and even dared to claim that I was probably high on LSD or something! XD But I can assure you, my friends, that I was **not** high on LSD! I don't do drugs... or at least, my drugs aren't the expensive type you buy on the streets and that can shatter your life. My drugs are music and fanfiction, it's as simple as that! :)

That's all from me for now. See ya next time! ^^


	13. The part that cannot be played

Hi everyone! First off, I want to apologize a million times for not updating in quite a while, but I had darn writer's block! :( And it didn't want to go away... it is a bit better now, but I'll tell you something: I am extremely nervous about this chapter and don't even dare to cross my fingers when I think about what your opinion might be. The first part... when I finally managed to start writing again, it came along fairly easy, but the last part realy was tough. And please don't expect too much. I just hope I didn't destroy the fic with one crappy chapter -.-; And in case that might have just happened, I'd like to seize the opportunity and thank everyone who has reviewed/alerted/faved this story!! It meant - and still means - so much to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

In my dreams, I'm already a few steps ahead of this scene and am thinking about the end of this fic. The way I imagine it, there is a very high chance that I will be making a sequel, though. Still, I'd like to know what you guys think of that idea, so please give me your opinion in a review or by taking the poll (lol, my first poll! Never thought I'd need one... XD).

And now... the thirteenth chapter! Gah, I don't like the number thirteen, but if this happens to be a dud, I shall blame it entirely on myself and not on an innocent number! ;)

* * *

Misaki said he was just «being unnecessarily paranoid», but Itachi was quite sure that they were being followed. A couple of times, he believed to see a shadow moving in the woods surrounding them, and he was convinced that a mere deer had no reason to stalk people.

They were on a mission north of Fire Country. Winter had come and gone, and not much had changed; at least, until now. Itachi and Sasuke were back to being more secretive about their relationship, and although those moments were still enjoyable as ever, dark clouds were approaching on the horizon. The clan was mobilizing all its forces, carefully planning their revolution. They didn't want to risk striking too early and thus risk failure, so there was still no guarantee that it would happen that year.

Still, that didn't change anything for Itachi. He knew that this undercover mission had top priority, yet he dreaded carrying it out all the same. Because of Sasuke. Promise or not, he was having ever-growing doubts that his brother would forgive him and remember that he loved him. After all, slaying one's entire family was an act that typically had little to do with love. But leaving Sasuke behind – let alone kill him – those options weren't any more appealing.

Getting proper rest was pretty much the very last thing on his mind when they stopped in a fishing village. His teammates were already asleep, but he was sitting on the hostel's roof, staring absent-mindedly into the night. The sea was not all that far away; the crashing of its waves got carried to the little inn by the wind, and the white foam that glistened in the moonlight could be seen from the balcony – or the roof, likewise. Itachi figured that in a way, the sea was quite comparable to life: both could be serene and pleasant while at other times being harsh and cruel. The tide was beginning to come in – and by the time it would crash upon the shore, it would be a tsunami, Itachi thought as he tried to picture the ocean as a mirror of his life.

'_Why so gloomy, Itachi?'_

Itachi frowned as an unwanted guest came to bother his already troubled mind some more.

'_Like you'd need to ask.'_

'_You should regard the matter in a better light. By accomplishing the mission, you're doing people a favor.'_

'_If you intend to cheer me up, you're not doing a good job.'_

'_Well, you're a tough customer, so I have to take chances. You never know what might cheer some people up…'_

Itachi closed his eyes when a small gust of wind blew against him as if offering comfort. "Bastard," he whispered.

"Now, now… didn't you have a good holiday, even though it is quite a bit late to ask?" a voice whispered back, and suddenly, two hands laid themselves on Itachi's shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze.

Almost instinctively, the prodigy froze, his onyx eyes narrowing in shock and immediate disgust that nobody saw.

"I knew we were being followed," he said softly, barely suppressing a growl when Madara squeezed his shoulders again, acting weirdly as if trying to give him a massage. As if he wasn't creeped out enough already…

"You don't sound too happy to see me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I figured you might want some company. And besides, we need to talk."

"What about? Somehow, I doubt it'll be about how your Christmas was, for instance," Itachi retorted sarcastically. To his genuine surprise, his life had been Madara-free (except for the aforementioned one's disembodied voice in his mind) since Christmas, and… dare he say that he hadn't minded that at all, that he was actually almost getting used to it? So much for temporary salvation…

"What about, you ask? Tut, tut… our mission, of course. The clan is planning, so we should do the same. Any preferences?"

"Preferences?"

"Oh, come on… as in, do you want to take out the elders? Or some other specific characters? Suppose we should divide the district in two halves? And about your father, your mother and Sasuke…"

"Don't you dare touch Sasuke!" Itachi hissed, trying to turn around and glare at Madara, but the older Uchiha was gripping his shoulders tightly, keeping him in place and steering clear of the loathing glance.

"Have you made a decision? You want to kill him yourself?"

Itachi closed his eyes tightly and tried not to think about his brother while replying: "…Leave my family to me."

"As you wish," Madara answered calmly. "So, then you'll take over the half of the district in which you live? You'd also have to take care of Shisui's family if that's how we're going to do it. He'll be dead by then anyway, but…"

Oh God, yes. He would have to kill Shisui's parents; and his little sister as well. The mere thought of mercilessly slaughtering children made Itachi sick to his stomach, but make that double for Natsuko. On the other hand… in a very twisted way, perhaps Madara had been somewhat right before, and he would be doing her a bit of a favor: she would be reunited with her brother again. There was no doubt that she would be heartbroken once he was gone, so it might just come that close to putting her out of her misery. But that was a very small, miniscule comfort.

When Madara didn't get a reply from Itachi, he quickly drew a correct conclusion about the reason for that. In a dark voice that sounded oddly soothing – which was quite unfitting to his words – he said:

"Itachi, this is not the time for having sympathy. We could have had it all before, but by backing down, they disgraced themselves. It was betrayal, and betrayal must be punished." His voice became even darker and colder as it dwindled to a whisper which had an unexplainable, almost hypnotizing effect. Itachi got goosebumps from it. "Sympathy is not meant to be given to traitors. They must pay – and they will. With blood. **Their** blood. They will drown in their own blood, choking on their screams." Madara gave a low laugh, a devious "Kukuku", before saying almost dreamily as if in perverted satisfaction: "Oh yes…"

'_He is mad,'_ Itachi thought as he listened even though he didn't want to. That the clan had to be stopped was not what he doubted; but he did doubt that they would be the ones to bring them to divine justice, as Madara's description sounded.

"I thought we were doing this to prevent a war from breaking out," he muttered.

"Yeah, yeah, that too…" This was said rather hurriedly, as if it were a small side note that didn't deserve much attention, and that made Itachi wonder what exactly Madara had been talking about when mentioning a past betrayal. He didn't know too much about this man, but he hoped to eventually find out what other possible motivation he had to slaughter the clan. His musings were interrupted by Madara, who continued in a different tone of voice:

"Listen, I hope this is the last time I have to remind you to put more heart into this matter. This is an important turning point in which we cannot afford to make any mistakes. Oh, and by the way, I thought I should tell you that you should report to the Akatsuki as soon as possible. You will be fully recruited then."

"…That wouldn't even be too far away," Itachi commented. Indeed; the village they were currently in was right at the border to the nameless headland, and he would have less than half the journey ahead of him than it would be from Konoha.

"Exactly. It would be foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity. So here's what we'll do: I'll transform into you while you go get the recruitment business over with," Madara told him.

"Can you pull that off?" Itachi asked.

"Hi, my name's Itachi. I'm a prodigy who doesn't know whether I want to become blind or not, even though I know fully well what I could do to prevent that from happening. See? Piece of cake."

"Very funny!" Itachi hissed angrily.

"Relax; I was only fooling. I certainly will be able to play your part to your satisfaction," Madara drawled.

"Now it's **your** turn to be careful about screwing up," Itachi grumbled. In private, he gave Madara ten seconds to finally let go of him. He was sick of feeling the other's breath on the fine hairs of his neck.

"Me? Not a chance. It's still you we should be worrying about." Ignoring the glare from Itachi, Madara let go of him and transformed into a clone of Fugaku's older son. The resemblance was perfect – at least, as far as physical appearances went. Itachi was sure that Madara would never be able to play his entire part perfectly, because **nobody** could imitate how much he loved Sasuke.

"There, all done. Go now. We shall see each other soon again. And remember my words, Itachi: traitors deserve no sympathy. Their fate is written in blood." Then he smirked in a most wicked way; there was no doubt that he was actually looking forward to the massacre, at least to a certain degree.

Itachi found himself looking at how Madara wanted him to be: cold, merciless and free of any guilt. Any other kind of conscience got in the way of performing such a deed, and it was with bitter realization that Itachi concluded that especially in order to put an end to his own family and Shisui's – not to mention his cousin himself – he would have to work on pushing his true nature aside. He would have to become exactly like his temporary partner-in-crime, at least for a while. It didn't sit well with him at all, but it was for the sake of completing the mission. Itachi had never failed a mission before.

Suddenly, they heard a yawn from below, and a brunette stepped out onto the balcony.

"Itachi?" she asked drowsily. "Is someone there? Who are you talking to?"

Madara grinned as if to say «let's start this show», then winked at Itachi and jumped down to the balcony.

"No, no one else is here. Who else would I be talking to, besides myself?"

"I was just wondering. Now come on and get some sleep so we will get a word out of you tomorrow," Misaki said with a shrug before giving him a little push. She herself lingered for one more moment, trying to peer up at the roof, where the real Itachi quietly crept to the other side of the roof, from where he made his secret getaway, soon vanishing into the shadows of the night. He strongly hoped that Madara's self-confidence wasn't exaggerated.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

By daybreak, he arrived at the Akatsuki hideout, where Konan welcomed him. She brought him straight to Pein, who seemed to be at least mildly pleased that Itachi had come so soon.

"Very well then," the pierced man said. "There are just a few more little things that need to be done –"

"Forgive me for interrupting, Leader-sama," Itachi cut him off and knelt down. "But before you recruit me, I wonder if I could ask a favor of you."

Pein was slightly irritated by the interruption, as a twitch of his right eyebrow signaled. "A favor?" he repeated, not sounding very enthusiastic.

Itachi nodded, then voiced his request. When he had finished, he bowed his head, waiting for Pein's response. At first, there was silence, then some muttering. A female voice that joined in told him that Konan was also giving the issue some thought and comments of her own – whether it was in Itachi's favor or not was yet to be seen. Finally, Pein raised his voice again:

"Wait outside, Itachi. This is a decision that I do not want to make too hastily."

"Yes, Leader-sama," Itachi replied and left the office. There had to be some hope yet for him, otherwise he certainly would have gotten a «no» by now. Wondering how long he would have to wait, he wandered off and ended up in the living room. Most of the Akatsuki were gathered around a miniscule TV with bad reception, having a heated argument. Zetsu was playing a card game with himself, as Itachi noticed when he took turns in closing first one eye, then the other with every new card he played.

'_All right, that's it: definitely a schizo…!'_

Sasori was watching this with the same expressionless face like when Itachi had last seen him.

"**Ah! You cheated!"**

"Did not! You cheated!"

"**I know you peeked! Admit it already!"**

"Zetsu, you're playing against **yourself**, so evidently, you are **cheating** yourself **and** arguing with yourself about it… You really are a freak, have I ever told you that?" Sasori interjected.

"Oi! Pipe down over there! We can't hear the TV!"

"Come on, Sasori… didn't he blink just before?! I swear he did!"

"**Why, I'd eat you if I could…!"**

"And besides, I'm not that much of a freak, thank you very much. …And ha, not if I eat you first!"

"This is exactly why Leader-sama has given up on partnering you, you know?"

"**They said they couldn't take it anymore, so what else should I have done?"**

Sasori sighed.

Meanwhile, Itachi redirected his attention to the other, more normal argument.

"Come on, man, this sucks!"

"Would it kill you to invest a little bit more in our welfare?"

"You already spend enough on shampoo, so don't get started on welfare… And besides, I got you the TV, so shut up already."

"This piece of shit? You really are a cheapskate, Kakuzu!"

"Oh, suck it up already. If it weren't for me, we'd have gone broke ages ago."

"Looks like we've got company," Sasori suddenly commented flatly as he got up, about to leave this never-ending squabble behind. Four heads turned to see the half-shadowed figure of Itachi in the doorway. Clearly, bad eyesight didn't get you very far in this hideout.

"Itachi! Zetsu, why didn't you tell us that he's coming?" Orochimaru exclaimed, swiftly rising and practically pouncing on the Uchiha to drag him over.

"**I'm a scout, not a messenger**. And besides, Leader-sama told us he'd be coming; you just happened to be in the bathroom at that time, as usual…" Zetsu retorted huffily.

Itachi tried to protest against Orochimaru's handling – his body language couldn't be more explicit – but the snake-sannin ignored that completely. He even made Itachi have a seat right between him and Kisame.

"You sure came quickly. So, had a good New Year?" the shark asked casually.

"Quite. You?" Itachi asked back curtly.

"The usual. Leader-sama hit the roof, though; Nanashi is dead. It wasn't exactly a **good** Christmas present, admittedly…"

Itachi raised an eyebrow in silent questioning. But now that Kisame had mentioned it, he too noticed the absence of who had seemed to be the most "normal" Akatsuki member.

"Kakuzu snuffed him. Geez, man, I don't think anyone will ever beat your record," Kisame explained before addressing the masked shinobi in question.

"I told him not to set me off." Kakuzu didn't even look up from the money he was counting. "He can be proud of himself; he lasted longer than most." As if he had **sensed** a certain someone's unspoken question, he added after a pause: "Half a year."

"Kakuzu changes partners like others change their underwear – the ones who change them daily, I mean. He's about as picky as one can get."

"I'm not picky; I'm merely a bit selective," Kakuzu defended himself.

Kisame shook his head. "Picky."

"Selective."

"Picky!"

"Selective!"

Itachi decided that some of them had serious issues and had just started wondering if Pein had made a decision yet when he felt someone fiddling around with his ponytail and inhale deeply while doing so. He turned around slowly, and when he laid eyes on the culprit, he backed up against Kisame with what sounded suspiciously like a yelp.

"What the heck is **wrong** with you?!"

"Why wrong? I'm just getting to know you better," Orochimaru protested.

"By sniffing my hair," Itachi stated disbelievingly.

"I would have preferred your neck too –"

"Don't you dare come near my neck. In fact, don't come near me at all!" Itachi warned, cutting Orochimaru off just as he opened his mouth to reply. To his faint dismay, the other man appeared to be far less unsettled than he should have been, given that Itachi's eyes were once again Sharingan-red and bore a particularly vicious glare; in fact, he even seemed to be downright intrigued, almost ogling the youngest soon-to-be group member.

"Hey Orochimaru, stop freaking my new partner out already, okay?" Kisame asked. "He's not even officially recruited yet…"

"Freaking him out?" Orochimaru leaned in, getting much too close for Itachi's comfort as he inspected the teen's pale face. "He sure doesn't look freaked out to me."

"You sure?" Kisame looked the Uchiha over skeptically. It was the bazaar situation all over again, and as the other two began to debate on what actions might have freaked him out and probably should be refrained from in the future, Itachi's infuriation ebbed away until only annoyance was left. Being part of the Akatsuki sure required nerves of steel – if they would ever need to recruit new members (which was almost definite, since Kakuzu was on his own yet again), he would be sure to tell the candidates that beforehand.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Back in Konoha, the sakura trees had begun to blossom. Being outside and walking underneath their canopies had its own special magic, like Christmas, and it was the time aside from Valentine's Day on which one could find quite a few happy couples kissing in the midst of pink and declaring their love or admitting their admiration for each other.

Shisui and Sasuke were walking down a tree-lined path, surrounded by all of that. As they passed a young couple passionately kissing each other, Sasuke couldn't help but watch, cocking his head a bit and blushing a faint, cute shade of pink. If Shisui hadn't been holding his hand, he probably even would have stopped.

"Sasuke, keep walking; it's not polite to stare at people, you know? Even if the people in question are too preoccupied to notice that in the first place."

"Sorry, itoko…"

"Don't sweat it. …You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Shisui asked with a grin.

Sasuke was too caught up in daydreaming about his brother to remind himself of answering such questions cautiously – and so, with a soft sigh, he said: "Yeah. I wish he were here so I could kiss him like that too."

"I bet anything that he's thinking of you right now as well."

"Aniki…" But as it tended to happen in such situations, Sasuke suddenly remembered where and with whom he was and what he had just said. With a startled squeak, he covered his mouth with his free hand, and the blush darkened with embarrassment.

Concernedly, Shisui raised an eyebrow and stopped. "What's wrong, Sasuke? Was it something I said?"

"N-No, it's just… I-I shouldn't have said… what I said be-before," Sasuke stammered, staring at the ground.

"Oh?"

The boy nodded nervously. "Nii-san told me not to tell anybody… because they… they wouldn't understand."

"Ah, I see. Come here, Sasuke. Sit down for a moment." Shisui guided him to the nearest tree, where they sat down. In little more than a week, the ground would soon be covered with fallen cherry blossoms as the end of this short period of bloom will have come.

"Now take a deep breath." Sasuke obeyed and inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly. His nervousness only ebbed away a tiny bit, if even. "Listen, you don't need to be unsettled about this subject in my presence. I had a talk with Itachi, and I know that he loves you more than most people would want him to. And you want to know a secret, Sasuke?"

"Yes…"

"C'mere." Shisui waved him over, then whispered into his ear: "I'm okay with that. I am on your side."

An expression of utmost relief appeared on Sasuke's face as he sat back again. "You are, itoko?"

"Sure. I know that Itachi has always loved you, so what right would I have to say something against that? When you were born, the first thing he said to me was how thrilled he was to have such an adorable younger brother. You were always so special to him… and now, looking back, I'm very tempted to say that I should have seen it coming that he loves you more than in just a brotherly way."

"Is it that much of a difference?" Sasuke wondered.

"Well, love is love, but there still is a difference. He loves you like your mother loves your father and vice versa. Now you, Sasuke… judging by your question, I'm sure you don't know any different because you think that love in all its forms is okay. You didn't think it was strange when your feelings for Itachi got deeper and stronger, right?"

"No…"

"Of course not; you're still so young. But trust me, if you had been older – Itachi's age, let's say – then I am positive you would have thought about it differently."

"…But why wouldn't others understand? I still don't get it, and nii-san said he'd explain when I'm older. But I wanna know **now**!" Sasuke exclaimed.

Shisui sighed. "As wonderful as love is, it can be just as complicated sometimes. You see… when people talk about love, write about it, sing about it, they usually think of a boy and a girl. A man and a woman. And when a man and a woman love each other – like your parents – they often decide to have children. Now, I won't elaborate on that any further because you really are still too young for that…" (Sasuke pouted as if in disagreement, but when he noticed how serious Shisui was, he decided not to speak up. As long as he **would** receive an explanation someday…) "The fact is that the same can't happen when two people of the same gender love each other. Like you and Itachi. And especially within a clan, having children is important to preserve the bloodline, which is why practically everyone wouldn't approve of you two being together."

"…Is it that hard to have a kid?" Sasuke asked, clearly giving that quite a bit of thought.

"Let's just say it's not as easy as buying groceries in a store."

"But itoko, that's not fair! I love nii-san, I really do! I can't pretend as if I don't! And we always have to be so secretive about it… why can't we just be like the others?" He gazed wistfully over his shoulder at a pair of teens who were kissing on the other side of the path. The two Uchihas paused their conversation. Sasuke watched how they ended the kiss and how the boy said something to the girl that made her very happy. They were looking deep into each other's eyes, just like he sometimes did with Itachi. But they rarely (if ever) did that in public when they could be watched; Itachi repeatedly reminded his younger brother that it was safer for them to do that in privacy. Looking rather forlorn, he regarded Shisui again, the still unanswered question written all over his face.

"I'm sure it's hard, Sasuke, but this just is the way things are. However, I am fairly sure that someday, you two will be free. Someday, you will be relieved of all the secrecy. Trust me," Shisui said quietly, giving Sasuke's shoulder a comforting pat.

His cousin averted his gaze briefly before muttering: "I hope you're right. And thanks for being so… understanding…"

"Don't mention it. Now, how's about cheering up a little bit again, hmm? Think about your brother; he should be back any day now," Shisui told him, gently lifting Sasuke's chin up so the other would see his encouraging smile.

A second or two passed without anything happening, but then Sasuke gave in to Shisui's request. And really, when he thought about Itachi, how could he be gloomy? "Better?"

"Lots. What would you say if I'd offer to treat you to something?" the older Uchiha offered.

"Really? You'd do that?!" Sasuke repeated with that brilliant smile once again as he resumed his previous cheerfulness.

"Of course! Anything for you…"

With a happy cheer, Sasuke quickly rose and grabbed Shisui's hand again. Side by side, they returned to the lively streets, not looking at all if they had just had a serious conversation. But it was only short-lived, as they soon found out.

"Itoko, look! It's nii-san!" Sasuke cried suddenly. They had only just reached the main street when they saw Itachi and his team standing there, talking idly.

"Well, speaking of the devil!" Shisui whistled. It was as if fate was on their side, having come to cheer Sasuke up as well and return the love to him that he had been musing about.

With excitement kicking in full-blast, Sasuke let go of Shisui's hand and had already begun to run up to his sibling, eager to fling his arms around his waist in a typical welcoming. But then something happened that made him stop in his tracks, something that chased away his joy instantly. His eyes widened in confusion and incredulity. He thought he had stumbled right into a bad dream.

Behind him, Shisui's jaw dropped, making him gape like a fish.

Itachi was kissing Misaki. He was kissing her, and not just by means of a peck on the cheek. And even though he wasn't exactly ravishing her mouth, there was no doubt that this kiss was the type that could also be described as "swapping spit".

Time really seemed to be standing still as the other two Uchihas gawked at the scene. Both were too much in shock to react immediately. Sasuke had the dim, strange feeling that his legs were gone – because whatever was supporting his weight as he stood there, he couldn't feel it. He felt numb. Even his heart might have probably stopped if it hadn't been beating all on its own. His mind was chanting in an increasingly desperate manner:

'_This can't be, this can't be, this can't be…!'_

The kiss was ended, and Sasuke still couldn't move. He could only stare in horror as his brother looked at Misaki in a weird way, a way in which he had never looked at Sasuke before (at least, not that anybody had seen). It was pretty much a lascivious look, even though the youngster hadn't yet heard such an expression before.

"…Holy shit!" a voice said beside him, and a hand was put on his shoulder.

Very faintly, Sasuke registered it to be warm. A comforting touch. Feeling alienated to his own body, he looked up to see that Shisui was standing beside him once more. His cousin had a look on his face that couldn't be described in one word, so Sasuke took notice of the ones he could recognize, naming them separately: shock, disbelief… and anger. No matter how unexpected this situation was, Sasuke was startled to see his cousin being angry with Itachi. It was so unfamiliar… and given their closeness, it also seemed unrealistic.

"I don't believe it…"

And along with Shisui, Sasuke finally found his voice again. But it was little more than a whine, drenched with hurt. "Itoko, why…? It hurts… it hurts very much…!"

"Sasuke…" Shisui knitted his brow in worry and sympathy for the boy, and looked down only to see him emphasize his point by clutching at his shirt, right where his heart was. His big eyes were widened in bewilderment and desperation, and as he looked right into them, seeing no walls of any sort built around Sasuke's core, he remembered a question he had been asked, one that he hadn't expected to hear from his other cousin:

"_Have you ever felt like you were suddenly losing ground?"_

"Hush, Sasuke… we'll sort this out…"

Looking utterly lost, Sasuke gazed at Itachi again. And held his breath when the elder just happened to look their way, spotting them. He looked just like Itachi… every bit… and yet it simply couldn't be him. It couldn't be true. He was looking Sasuke straight in the eye, but there was no love in those black depths. It was a blank expression, like one had when simply acknowledging another being in one's presence. Nothing more. Sasuke wildly wondered if love could die so suddenly, because he doubted that this was some sort of joke – and if it was, it certainly wasn't funny.

"I'll be right there, I just need to go write the mission report first," Itachi said, raising his hand in a simple salute before turning away, heading off with his teammates.

He even **sounded** like Itachi! And yet… "Who is that?" Sasuke whispered, watching his sibling go. "He looks like nii-san… he **sounds** like him too… but he… he's so strange."

"I agree," Shisui replied, tightening his grip on Sasuke's shoulder a bit as his emotions threatened to get the better of him. "Something is fishy. He didn't even say hello."

"Itoko?"

"Hmm?"

"I wanna go home," Sasuke murmured, bowing his head as he felt his eyes become wet.

"Want me to come along for a while?" Shisui offered.

"If you don't need to be someplace else…"

"I have the day off, remember?"

"…That could be…"

It pained Shisui to see Sasuke being so confused and distraught. His thoughts were racing as he tried to come up with an explanation for Itachi's behavior, but so far without success. He sure had appeared to be sober… and as far as he knew, Itachi hadn't ever hinted at being attracted to Misaki. Had someone drugged him, perhaps? And if so, who? Shisui swore to cut the culprit's neck with a newly sharpened kunai. Or a katana. That would be even better.

They walked all the way back to Sasuke's house in silence. The atmosphere around them was cheerful and light-hearted, but it couldn't get to them anymore, as if it were repelled by an invisible wall around them. Neither one of them felt like laughing after what they had just witnessed.

"Ah, you two are back already? I thought –" Mikoto began, but silenced the very instant she saw the looks on the boys' faces. "What's wrong? Sasuke…?"

But he refused to look at her, fearing that if he did, he would tell her everything and thus break his promise to Itachi. He held on tightly to Shisui's hand in a silent plea for help. His cousin gave it a reassuring squeeze. It felt almost like when Itachi did the same thing.

"I'll handle this, Mikoto. Sasuke just… isn't feeling so well at the moment." And that was the truth, even though his reason differed from what Mikoto believed to be the cause.

"Are you sure? He isn't about to fall ill again, is he?" Mikoto asked worriedly.

"No, no… it's a mental thing," Shisui told her before he and Sasuke rounded the corner to go upstairs.

"I really don't understand… was that really him?" Sasuke muttered incredulously as he curled up on the bed.

"Something was off, yes… but you do seem to be strongly doubting that that was Itachi," Shisui remarked, flicking a stray bang out of Sasuke's face.

"He has never looked at me like that before, itoko. When he looks at me, I can tell I am appreciated… that I am… special. But now, I saw nothing of that. It was as if that was just…" Sasuke struggled to explain what he meant. The word was on the tip of his tongue, but it apparently had decided to stay there as he racked his brains. "Not him, but someone else who merely **looks** like him…"

"You mean an imposter?" Shisui exclaimed.

Sasuke shrugged helplessly. "Or do you think that nii-san wouldn't love me so suddenly anymore?"

Slowly and silently, Shisui shook his head, looking dead serious.

"I don't know what to think right now," Sasuke sighed miserably. "Nii-san said he loves me more than I can imagine… and when we… um… kiss," (he blushed slightly as he said that) "it feels so good that I wish it would never end. I don't want to lose that…" He faltered. The thought of losing Itachi, losing this special love that he cherished so much, it scared him. When he thought about that, he felt as if he could never be happy again.

"You won't, Sasuke. Something about this ordeal stinks to the high heavens – tell your parents I take full responsibility for having defiled your vocabulary with an expression like that –" (Sasuke giggled feebly in spite of himself) "– and I will try and get to the bottom of this. Just hang on, little buddy, and don't give up on what you two share. Itachi still loves you, and I'll eat my hat if that really has changed!" he declared in a very valiant way, raising his index finger as well.

"But you don't wear a hat. Not unless you have dressed up as Santa," Sasuke pointed out.

"…Um, it's just a figure of speech, Sasuke." Shisui sweatdropped, but was glad to see that he was managing to cheer the younger one up a bit anyway.

"Oh. Okay. I hope you're right…"

'_So do I.'_ "That's the spirit. Give me a minute; I'll be right back."

With that said, he shortly left Sasuke to tell Mikoto that there was practically nothing she had to worry about. But he also asked a favor of her:

"When Itachi comes home, stall him. I need to talk to him, preferably before Sasuke does."

"Are you having a row with each other?"

"No, but there is something very important that I need to discuss with him. Please, Mikoto."

"…Alright." She didn't sound very thrilled; then again, Shisui couldn't say anything different of himself. But this had to be done. And now all he could do was wait.

Several hours later, night had fallen, and Sasuke was asleep, tossing and turning in his bed in his slumber as his dreads followed him all the way to his dreams. Mikoto was getting ready to hit the hay herself while Fugaku was in his study doing God-knew-what. It was then that a familiar prodigy approached the house. Shisui had been keeping watch and took his place behind the door, standing there with his arms crossed. A few minutes later, the door slid open, and a rather weary-looking Itachi stood there. His senses shot to red alert when he suddenly found himself being greeted by a bristling shadow with Sharingan eyes.

"What on earth…?!"

That was as far as he got before the shadow lunged at him – and as it advanced into the moonlight, he recognized his unexpected attacker.

* * *

Um... _(timid voice)_ how was it? One thing is for sure: I have done better. But currently, this is all I can do. This is when it bugs me that my thoughts are racing ahead... who wants to bet that once I have caught up with them, they will already have raced off again? ^^;

The first part came to my mind when I listened to "Reise, Reise" by Rammstein. There's a line that kinda fits Madara, if you ask me, and I'm considering to somehow include that somewhere along the line. It doesn't sound as good in English as it does in German, but I'll just hope it'll do the trick. As for the third part, I got that idea on Friday, so it's still fairly new. More scrap work from me...

I'm almost afraid to ask, but I'll do so anyhow: review, please? And don't forget your opinions concerning a possible sequel.

Gotta go now, or I'll really be dead meat tomorrow (and something tells me that I'll need my strength then -.-)!

_~devotedtodreams_


	14. As time begins to run out

...Um, hi guys. _(waves shyly)_ Damn, I haven't updated in... ages, it seems. Dangit. I wish I could have a different excuse for once, but I don't, so it's just the usual combination of writer's block (argh!), tiredness and a pinch of laziness. I paid the price for that with everlasting frustration up till now, though...

At this point, I shall be extremely grateful for everyone who still hangs around to read this story. Overall, I'd say that I'm not particularly satisfied with this chapter, so I'll be more anxious than usual to see what you guys think of it. For me, posting stuff like this is like gambling - I mean, I never would have guessed that the previous chapter would turn out to be the most popular one so far (by number of reviews)! XD So all I can do now is sit back and see what your opinion is/your opinions are. I'm not expecting too much, though; that's for sure...

* * *

The infuriated look on Shisui's face was only illuminated by the moonlight for a second before Itachi found himself getting slammed against the wall, the thump of the impact sounding out in time with the closing door. It was like back when Fugaku had taught him a lesson; only this time, Itachi hadn't guessed that this would happen. He gave a grunt of pain and tried to defend himself, but to no avail: Shisui was doing an excellent job of keeping him in place, hands tightly gripping his wrists and holding them at eye level. Itachi didn't even **try** to get out of this by attempting to kick his cousin in the shins – Shisui couldn't be outsmarted like that. As a kid, Itachi had learnt that lesson, and he only needed to learn it once.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he demanded, still trying in vain to free himself.

"Can't you imagine it?" Shisui retorted, eyes narrowed.

They were standing so close together that they could feel each other's breath on their faces. He could feel how Itachi – or whoever this was – fought to be free again. But he was determined not to let him get away just yet.

"No, I can't!" Itachi answered heatedly. He was tired and in need of some rest; the recruitment ordeal had taken longer than planned due to certain… incidents (most of which involved a certain lustful snake-sannin), and that alone was stressing him enough. Add Madara, and that pretty much explained it all.

"Alright, I'll give you a hint: Misaki."

Itachi paused his struggling to blink confusedly. "Misaki? What does she have to do with all this?"

"Everything."

"This doesn't make sense." Itachi blinked again, but this time his eyes were red when he opened them. "Shisui, I'm really tired, so cut the comedy already, okay?!" he growled. His initial surprised had waned rapidly, leaving annoyance and impatience behind instead.

"Fool! I'm not finished yet!" Shisui hissed, tightening his grip in case Itachi would increase his efforts to break free. "If there's **anyone** who should cut the comedy, it's **you**! Now listen carefully, here's the second hint: Sasuke."

"Sasuke?"

Shisui took notice of the glint of worry in the other's eyes upon hearing the boy's name. He had ambushed his cousin like this to intercept a possible imposter, but as he and Sasuke knew, the Itachi they saw earlier hadn't reacted to either one of them in any way. Unlike now…

"What would you say if I were to tell you that you kissed Misaki?" he asked slowly.

Itachi got a rare, dumbfounded look on his face. "Kissed her?! I thought I had already told you that I'm not attracted to her! At least not in that sense. She's just a friend," he reminded him.

"Then why in the name of God **did** you kiss her?" Shisui countered, not missing a beat.

Itachi's eyes widened – not much, but all the same, he looked as if he had been told that he would have to spend the rest of his life with Orochimaru. As the slave, too. Oh, the horror!

"…I really kissed her?" he repeated incredulously.

"Indeed. It was rather odd, given that you were going about it like someone who was starved of love and passion. Do you have any idea how that made us feel?" Shisui asked accusingly.

«Us» was the key word in that sentence, and thanks to that, the hints made sense now. Even though it was one of those moments in which one wished they **wouldn't** make sense.

"You mean… Sasuke…"

Shisui nodded grimly. "Yes. He saw that. What were you thinking? You could have at least said hello, you know?"

"It's not… you don't understand…"

"No." Shisui gently placed two fingers on Itachi's lips. "Indeed, I don't understand, and although I shall refrain from restraining you until an explanation is provided, I do want to ask one thing of you, Itachi."

"Name it."

"I wish to have another talk with you. Something is bothering you like hell, and I want to help. Remember that I truly would do anything to help you prevail against whatever is troubling you…" His voice dropped to a whisper, and slowly, he let go of Itachi's wrists. Contrarily to how determinedly he had fought to free himself before, Itachi stayed where he was, gazing at Shisui as if the latter had freed him from a death sentence. Like when he had been younger and Shisui had comforted him after a nightmare, not reprimanding him for his tears in the slightest.

Their momentary closeness allowed Shisui to look beyond Itachi's walls, and that was the moment in which he was finally assured that this was no imposter. This was Itachi; the real one that he and Sasuke loved like few others.

"**Anything**," Shisui repeated softly, putting a hand on the other teen's shoulder. "But I can't help you unless I know what the problem is."

For a very short moment, Itachi looked as if he would give in to his friend's offer then and there – but instead, he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Thank you, Shisui…"

The other prodigy smiled sympathetically yet unseen at him, then gently guided him away from the wall.

"Let us end the interrogation now. Itachi, I sentence you to a good night's sleep," Shisui told him as he opened the door to the house. "Do you object?"

"No, Your Honor," Itachi answered, lacing his voice with a wisp of amusement. How he managed to do that despite how he was feeling just then was beyond him. Perhaps part of Shisui's attitude really was contagious, like he had suspected a while ago.

But as Itachi slowly climbed the stairs and he let the situation sink in for good, the amusement faded away. Madara had screwed up – and royally, might he add. He should have known that the man would mess up that part. Kissing Misaki was one thing, but ignoring Sasuke as well… Never again, Itachi decided. Never again would he let someone try to take his place, no matter how necessary it would seem. It just didn't work out. All that resulted from it were more lies, more stories he would have to tell and excuses he would have to create to supposedly explain himself. It would only be a matter of time before he would get too trapped in that vicious web to weasel his way out of it, and then what? Mission: failed?

There was but one thought that was more on Itachi's mind than that one: Sasuke. He knew it was late and that his brother was most probably asleep, but still; he wanted to see him, wanted to apologize. Even if it wouldn't be heard. There was always the next morning, but Itachi doubted he would be able to get a wink of sleep if he wouldn't do some of the work now.

He felt horrible as he carefully opened the door to Sasuke's room and saw the boy sleeping, but not with that usual serene expression on his face, but a frown instead. It was evident that he wasn't having pleasant dreams.

'_Sasuke… what have I done? What have I done to you? If I had any right to do so, I wish I could wake you up with a kiss. I wish I could wake you up and somehow convince you that I still am yours, like I always was…'_ he thought as he crossed the room, silent as a cat.

When he stood in front of the bed, he almost sat down on its edge, but as if having heard a silent command, he paused and then knelt down instead. Sasuke shifted with a very faint whimper. Itachi didn't overhear it.

"Otouto… I'm home again," Itachi whispered.

There was so much he wanted to say, so many things he wanted to set right – but as it always seemed to do, time and reality itself clashed with his intentions. What good would it do him to let it all out? Sasuke was asleep, and although he knew that Shisui was anyone but the type who tried to overhear conversations from afar, he couldn't risk it and give the mission away. The elders of Konoha were counting on him… and if they knew that there might be another war, so would many others.

Fighting the urge to get it off his chest anyway, Itachi remained silent and motionless for several moments, listening to Sasuke's breathing. Normally, it would sound like a lullaby without music, and even though it currently lacked its usual calmness, it soothed Itachi a bit anyhow.

"I wish I could make it undone… to erase it all so you would have absolutely no reason to doubt that I love you," he finally continued quietly. "But I can't. And I can't tell you" (he lowered his voice even more) "the truth. Not yet. But I will do whatever it takes to show you that I still love you. I still want nobody else but you…"

He reached out to touch Sasuke's hand in the hopes of appeasing him, but faltered just before he would touch his brother: Sasuke frowned and rolled over, turning his back on him, his hands gripping the sheets tightly and holding them against him.

The rational part of Itachi knew that Sasuke was still dreaming and therefore hadn't deliberately turned away from him, yet the reaction would have been perfect if he had been awake… and looking at it like that was what made it hurt nevertheless. Discouraged, Itachi withdrew his hand and sighed remorsefully.

"Itachi…?" Shisui asked hesitantly, emerging from the shadows and spotting the look on his friend's face.

"Shisui, what did Sasuke say? What did he do when… when he saw me with Misaki…?" Itachi asked back, balling his hands to fists in an effort to make it sound as if **he** had done it instead of Madara.

"He said that it hurts," was the answer. Shisui tapped Itachi's shoulder twice to make the other look at him before he completed his answer by mimicking the way Sasuke had clutched at his heart. The whole ordeal already seemed to unsettle Itachi plenty, but he felt that his peer deserved to know everything about Sasuke's reaction. "He said it hurts very much."

Itachi stared first at him, then at Sasuke, looking taken aback as only he could upon hearing that something had happened to his little brother. His lips barely moved as he murmured:

"What have I done…?!"

"Wait a minute now, my friend… was it really you who kissed Misaki?" Shisui asked reassuringly.

Itachi appeared to stiffen somewhat at the question. "Why do you ask?"

"Because that particular action was totally out of the blue, and given that you love Sasuke so deeply, so truly, it was downright illogical. Neither Sasuke nor I were anywhere close to comprehending why it happened, and then Sasuke got an interesting idea."

"…Which would be…?"

"That that wasn't really you. An imposter. A fake," Shisui repeated somberly.

There was a moment of very tense silence. Shisui was focused entirely on Itachi, watching his eyes, mimic and every movement. The latter, on the other hand, managed to regain quite a bit of the indifference he showed around most people as he tried to make sure that he wouldn't give in to the temptation his cousin radiated: the temptation of solace. On the outside, he may have looked calm and unwavering, but on the inside, the situation was becoming increasingly unbearable so suddenly that he wished to scream.

"What made Sasuke think that was an imposter?" Itachi finally inquired.

"To him, the eyes said it all. He said the love in your eyes when you look at him makes him feel special, wanted… **loved**; but he missed that today. And even though he said it couldn't possibly have been you, he couldn't help but wonder if the love you feel for him had died. I suspect he isn't ruling out the possibility that he's not good enough for you."

It was impossible to not notice how much that notion hurt Itachi. His right hand twitched as it yearned to try to touch Sasuke again.

"No, it's not his fault. It's my own…" he mumbled.

"Listen, I know you're unsettled and tired, but… try not to be deceived by your conscience. It's not as if Sasuke loves you any less than he did before," Shisui tried to comfort him.

"I wouldn't exactly blame him if he would."

"You need some proof? Hang on in there for a moment." As Itachi obeyed, though neither saying anything nor changing the look in his eyes, Shisui gingerly sat down on the bed's edge and reached over Sasuke's sleeping form to lightly brush the boy's cheek with his fingertips. Sasuke fidgeted with a faint squeak. Whispering words of comfort, Shisui continued to softly stroke the youngster's hair and cheek until most of the tension left Sasuke's body. Carefully, Shisui made him roll onto his back again, and once that was the case, he turned around to take Itachi's hand in his own. His friend held his breath. With his other hand, Shisui guided the brothers' hands to each other – and until they touched, he treated them as carefully as a scientist who was about to mix two extremely explosive liquids.

At first, Itachi was as nervous as someone who was about to hold their crush's hand for the first time. His heartbeat sped up until he was almost sure that one could literally see how it was hammering behind his ribcage, and then… a tingling when Sasuke's fingers touched his own. Dozens of miniscule bugs seemed to dance around that spot, teasing his sense of touch. Marveling at the sensation, he reached out some more until he had fully slipped his hand underneath Sasuke's. The youngster's fingers slowly moved in an attempt to get a better hold of what was beneath them. A wave of strong emotions washed over Itachi: love, adoration, longing, ruefulness, desperation. The moment was so intense that he was torn between wanting it to last much longer and yet wanting it to end quickly. It was a wonderful yet horrible ache like.

Several seconds of that seemed to last forever before Sasuke's facial expression changed: the last bit of tension ebbed away from his features, and he smiled instead. Itachi exhaled with a sigh of relief only to hold his breath right again when Sasuke tightened his grip and pulled Itachi's hand toward him until he was clutching it like many kids held their favorite stuffed animal. A content hum escaped his lips.

Itachi's eyes softened, and for the first time that day, he finally smiled. Very carefully, he pried his thumb out of his brother's now almost possessive grasp and proceeded to tenderly caress Sasuke's fingers. He could almost swear that although he was still asleep just now, Sasuke could sense that he was holding on to his beloved aniki, relieved of all his doubts, the hurt and the confusion. He unknowingly left his older brother to wonder if he was just imagining that the smile on his face had just gotten a little wider.

"Otouto…" Itachi murmured. His voice was dangerously close to breaking because of utter relief and happiness that for now, he was accepted and cherished again. He had been so caught up in his worries that he had briefly forgotten that he was tired and had come home with the intention of going to bed straight away. But even now that he felt his fatigue returning again, he didn't want to leave quite yet. Surely it couldn't hurt to stay a little longer and watch his sleeping sibling while basking in the realization that Shisui had indeed been right: he didn't need to worry about losing Sasuke's love.

'_At least not for now…'_

"See? What did I tell you? The little guy just loves you to pieces, Itachi. I don't think he could ever hate you with all his heart. At least part of him will love you forever, no matter what," Shisui remarked with a rapt smile as he slid off the bed's edge, taking his place beside Itachi.

"At least part of him," Itachi echoed, vowing not to ever forget those words; they would give him something to hold on to in impending… darker times. The two older Uchihas sat in silence for a moment before he said quietly: "Thank you for being with him, Shisui. I'm sure it meant as much to him as it does to me."

An arm was draped around his shoulders and ever so slightly squeezed him in a friendly, one-armed hug. "Don't mention it." For a few more seconds, no words were spoken, then Shisui continued: "You know what? I think this would be a suitable time to leave you two alone for now. I told your mother I'd stick around just a little longer, so you know where you could find me."

Itachi nodded and briefly tore his gaze away from Sasuke as he replied: "You truly are the best friend I could ever ask for."

Shisui beamed at him. "Right back at you. Now remember what I sentenced you to, and have a restful night once you're ready for it." Just before he got up to leave, he offered Itachi one last gesture of comfort for that night: he leaned over and breathed a feather-light kiss onto Itachi's temple. It was another remnant of when they had been kids themselves and he had been Itachi's only anchor in life aside from Mikoto, in a time when he had been in dire need of solace.

His cousin let it happen, in fact even enjoying it, then remained motionless as he waited for the sound of Shisui's footsteps to fade away. As the night's silence had finally spread throughout the house, he moved again, reaching over the bed's edge until he kissed Sasuke on the lips. The only lips he had ever kissed like that… and once more, he thanked the heavens for blessing him with a brother like this.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The morning sun shone warmly upon the house, which didn't stand out from the others at all, but Itachi looked at it as if it was the devil's residence and he was about to throttle said ruler of the underworld. There was a little score to settle. Activating his Sharingan, Itachi approached the door and knocked raptly.

There was no response, no noise… nothing.

"I know you're there…" Itachi muttered under his breath as he knocked again, more impatiently this time.

And finally, a slightly drowsy-sounding voice called out: "Come in, Itachi."

Raising an eyebrow, the prodigy entered the domicile. The blinds were still down and everything, as if the house's occupier was still asleep.

"How did you know it was me?"

The voice drifted out of an adjoining room. "Oh, come on… your vibes can be felt from miles away. You appear to be upset."

At a swift yet not hurried pace, Itachi headed for the other room and found Madara sprawled on the bed, his long hair a wild mess and his eyes half-open. The smug look on his face only made Itachi's anger grow.

"Upset… I believe there are more appropriate adjectives than that."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. What in the blazes made you kiss Misaki? In front of my brother and Shisui, too?!"

"They were there?" The older Uchiha paused. "…Oh yes, so they were. I didn't know that having people seeing you kiss a girl would be a problem." He sounded so innocent that if Itachi hadn't known that Madara was a quite deceptive being, he might have bought it. Fortunately for him, he knew better.

"That is so ridiculous that I can't laugh about it, even if I wanted to! Do you think I'm… that I'm stupid?" Itachi snarled.

Madara stretched luxuriously. "My, my, someone has himself well under control… Christ, Itachi, I'm not your father, so you aren't obliged to restrain what you **really** wanted to say. Let me make a guess and help you out: it shouldn't have been «that is ridiculous, blah blah blah», but **bullshit** instead, and I believe you meant to say «do you think I'm fucking stupid». Right?"

"That is totally beside the point," Itachi replied testily. However, he knew that actually, Madara was right. "That was the first and last time we pulled a stunt like that. I will not let you hurt Sasuke like that again." The first part was easy enough, but when he spoke of Sasuke and remembered how Shisui had described his reaction, Itachi had to fight to keep his voice steady.

"What? All he saw was you kissing a girl. He should be happy." Madara watched Itachi with one open eye, feigning carelessness, but in reality being quite interested in the reaction.

"Well, he's not. He thinks I might not love him anymore."

"Eh, you could love them both. One as a brother, the other one as… a lover. Not that much to it…"

"Except that I don't **want** to love her! She's just a friend."

"Why not? It's almost a shame she's not an Uchiha," Madara mused.

Itachi studied him with a look of intense disgust. It was absolutely not necessary for him to voice what he was thinking: **pervert**. Pedophile, even, perhaps.

"Jesus, Itachi, stop looking at me as if I'm the world's most hideous spider," Madara sighed in mock annoyance.

"Who says it's the most hideous **spider**…?" the prodigy muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I'm just a man, and I have my needs too every now and then. It was the heat of the moment…"

"That is no excuse for it. You were just supposed to cover up for me while I was with the Akatsuki. I never asked of you to change anything about my social bonds," Itachi said icily. An indifferent look was all he got from the other. "This mission is the only reason I am cooperating with someone like you. After this, we are through. And if I ever hear that you hurt my brother again, I will make you sorry. I swear to God I will." His patience was all used up, and with a final glare, Itachi whirled around, about to leave the place again.

"Itachi, stop."

That tone of voice sounded so firm, so imperious that Itachi indeed stopped, though against his will. Slowly, as if he wished to be anywhere else in the world but there, he turned around to face Madara, who was now sitting cross-legged on the bed, his lower arms resting on his knees and a stern look in his red eyes. He looked very much like a sovereign who was about to have a serious talk with a potentially rebellious servant.

"This is the last time I'm telling you this: get your act together. **Focus**. And fast, might I add. Time will not wait up on you to do as I advised you to and put some distance between yourself and Sasuke. It'll be much easier for the both of you that way. You're not suppressing those emotions effectively enough, which is why you and I will be spending more time together. There is much that you can learn, and I shall teach you that. Otherwise, you might not even be able to kill Shisui without making a big drama out of it." Madara paused, allowing the words to sink in for a moment before continuing in a softer, yet equally commanding voice: "Come here."

Itachi didn't bother to hide all of his reluctance; Madara would have been an idiot to not have noticed that he felt that way. Slowly, unwilling yet obedient all the same, he crossed the room again until he stood in front of the older Uchiha. Madara's eyes gleamed like two embers, and Itachi knew that on both sides, patience was running very thin. One hand shot up and grasped his chin, forcing him to bend down a bit. A bout of anger seared through his veins at that touch. For a few seemingly endless seconds, they were practically nose-to-nose, their gazes meeting each other levelly and invisible sparks flying between them. It was an almost unbearable situation. Finally, Madara smirked and let go of him.

"Your attitude may not be as cooperative as I imagined it would be, but I can tell that you seek my help. I am not welcome in your presence and am aware of that, yet it is interesting to see that you need to have me around nevertheless," he spoke as Itachi retreated a couple of steps to be out of his reach. "Alright, then. I shall give you some time to think about what I said. You are a quite rational person, Itachi, so you should see the sense in my words. Your last respite shall end tomorrow. And then… then we shall undergo the final preparations for that night so we can be ready once we are required to strike. Remember that. Time is on nobody's side and continues to pass by no matter what, so it is up to us if we use it efficiently."

There was another pause. The tension was almost suffocating. Then Itachi nodded curtly. Satisfied for now, Madara dismissed him with a wave. When he heard the door slam, a devious grin flitted across his face. If all went according to plan – and he was sure that that would be the case – Itachi would soon come to his senses. And once he did, everything would fall into place. His name would go down in history while Madara himself would be able to bask in the satisfaction of having made people pay a price from long ago.

And if Itachi **wouldn't** come to his senses? The grin still didn't fade from Madara's features as he finally got up. If the worst came to the worst, there still would be the rather cruel yet possibly essential option of demonstrating the power that the teenager could obtain if he just stuck to the plan…

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Around noon the next day, Shisui was walking along the sakura tree-lined path all by himself. He had left the house soon after Itachi, but hadn't followed his cousin; he was looking for someone else. As his gaze fell upon that particular someone, he stopped, being an observer from afar for a moment.

Misaki was sitting under a canopy, turning a page of her schmaltzy – and perhaps a bit trashy – romance novel. Shisui saw her eyes move back and forth as they read the lines, but he was under the impression that she wasn't reading as quickly as people claimed she did. She looked as if she were spacing out just a little bit…

Wishing himself some luck, Shisui walked up to her. "Hello, Misaki."

She looked up from her lecture and smiled. "Hi, Shisui. How are you doing?"

"Fine, thanks. And you?"

"Great!" she beamed.

"Um… would you mind if I joined you for a while?" he asked.

"Not at all."

He sat down next to her, and although she put the book away, he could sense that she was slipping away, about to retreat to her castle somewhere up in the clouds. One would have to act fast to get something out of her before she disappeared.

"Look… has Itachi been acting kinda weird lately or something?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible (and doing that quite well).

"Weird?" she repeated. "Why do you ask?"

Shisui figured that this wasn't one of those situations in which one could afford to beat around the bush, so he didn't bother to go on a mental odyssey to find some complicated excuse.

"Because he kissed you."

Her eyes widened. "Shisui!" she exclaimed, sounding almost indignant.

"No, really!" he protested quickly. "Maybe you could help me out a bit, because I don't quite get it!"

"What do you mean?"

"You see… the thing is…" He paused briefly as he tried to come up with a reason. Beating around the bush at least a little bit probably wasn't such a bad guess right here. But the reason would have to be a convincing one, preferably, for Itachi was right: he was a bad liar. If only he could tell her something to make her see why that sudden display of passion was illogical…!

And then it hit him.

"Itachi is already taken, in a manner of speaking," he finished his answer.

Misaki looked astonished. "He is?! Gosh… he never said anything about that. Do I know her?"

"Sorry, but that information is classified," Shisui told her.

"Aww…" she sighed in disappointment, yet it was the sort that one shouldn't take too seriously. Shisui realized that by the tone of her voice. "That kiss sure was something else, though."

"I bet it was."

Even though he hadn't been with her too often yet and was little more than acquainted with her, Shisui wished more than ever to find out if Sasuke's guess was the answer to this kissing mystery. If that was the case, then whoever was behind this deserved a good whipping for messing around with people's minds in such a disgraceful manner.

Neither one of them said anything for a while as they just sat there, pursuing their individual thoughts, one of them almost getting lost in fantasies along the way. Well within hearing distance, Kiba Inuzuka passed them with his mother and their dogs. A white puppy caught up to them, dropped a stick at Kiba's feet and yipped happily.

"Good boy, Akamaru!" the boy praised him and patted his head before throwing the stick again. Akamaru bounded after it.

Misaki's gaze suddenly became focused again, as if she had just remembered something.

"Shisui, you know how you asked me if Itachi has been acting weird lately?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"I just remembered… one night, I heard him talking to somebody. When I asked him about it later on, he said that there wasn't anybody else there, but I swear there was. The other one… he said: «Tobi is a good boy!» Does Itachi know someone called Tobi?" she explained before the final curious inquiry.

Shisui blinked, puzzled. "Tobi? What kind of name is that? No, not that I know of."

"Come to think of it, that was the second time I overheard him talking to someone who apparently wasn't there." She paused and shook her head. "To be honest, I'm rather worried about that."

Shisui shot her a glance that mirrored his own concern. Another strange thing… were they connected to each other? Was that Tobi fellow the imposter, perhaps?

He hoped that Itachi would soon be willing to talk. Because if he didn't and kept on doing such strange things – imposter or not – others would notice too, perhaps even Takeshi; and Shisui didn't know how much longer he would be able to cover up for his cousin.

* * *

The first part took me forever (and it turned out much differently than how I had originally imaged it, but oh well)! Then I wrote the last part, and the middle one... I started that during work yesterday evening and quickly finished it today. That wasn't so hard. Man, even though I have no idea what kind of impression this chapter will make on you, I am sorta glad that I finally managed to update! :) Hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day (at least, those for whom this day holds any importance...)!

See ya next time (which will hopefully be sooner than later, lol)! And again, my sincerest apologies for the delay...!

_~dd_


	15. Another helping hand

Another monthly upload... this isn't coming along as fast as I thought it would, but like I said, it's not that easy for me when my dreams are way ahead of me. However, it helps that I roughly planned out the rest of the story! ;) According to those plans, there will be three more chapters before I can declare this story complete! Oh, and if certain things seem rushed or even left out, don't forget that if they won't be mentioned in the remaining chapters, there will be a sequel! :D Thanks to everyone who voted, by the way; you rock!

I promise to start working on the next chapter as soon as I've completed the darn college application and cleaned up my room (no, it didn't get messy again that quickly - I've just been procrastinating, as usual -.-). The next chapter could probably considered a filler, but I wouldn't feel comfortable with jumping ahead to Shisui's death after this chapter, so please bear with me! In the meantime, I hope I can satisfy you with this chapter. You might notice that I was really struggling with some parts... ^^; I guess it could have been worse, though. _(crosses fingers)_

* * *

Naruto was skimming stones across the water of the lake from the edge of the dock when he got to enjoy companionship again. A dazzling smile lit up his face.

"Hi Sasuke!" he said loudly before tossing another stone. It jumped four times across the surface before it went under. A couple of seconds later, a rather quiet voice answered:

"Hey, Naruto."

Still being quite engrossed in his little game, Naruto didn't react to that just then.

"Check this out: I bet I can make this one jump at least five times, dattebayo!"

The stone was thrown – and sure enough, Naruto won his mini-bet. The stone had even jumped six times instead of five! The blond cheered triumphantly, but when he realized that he was hearing no other voice besides his own, he silenced and turned to his newly-arrived friend.

Sasuke was looking at the water, but something about the look on his face made Naruto doubt that he had actually seen the little trick.

"Oi, teme! What's wrong? You don't look very happy…"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Then why are you walking around looking like that? You're bound to be asked what's wrong if you don't lighten up, dattebayo!" Nothing changed about Sasuke's attitude; he still looked miserable. It was enough to even chase the smile off Naruto's face. "C'mon, Sasuke… I just wanna help you!" he tried to convince his friend. "So c'mon, what's wrong?"

Sasuke finally looked up, meeting Naruto's gaze again, but it was only for a second or two before he looked back at the water. "It's about nii-san," he said quietly.

"Why? Is he not doing well?" Naruto inquired, gently forcing Sasuke to sit down at the dock's edge, and he put an arm around the Uchiha's shoulders to give him a sympathetic pat.

"I don't know. He **looks** fine, but… he did something that made me unsure…"

The boys were silent as Sasuke braced himself to finish the sentence. Already, he saw the memory replaying itself in his mind. The memory of Itachi with Misaki… that look he gave her, and the way it seemed to have delighted her… and his brother seemed to have been enjoying himself too. So why wouldn't he look at **him** just like that as well? Why…?

"…He kissed the girl on his team. And ignored me… as if I wasn't really there. As if he didn't remember how much his appreciation means to me," he finished.

For once, Naruto didn't respond immediately and instead contemplated his answer first. As he did that, he slowly withdrew his arm and let his legs dangle idly for a moment. The last thing he wanted to do was say something wrong, given that Sasuke already was so miserable. He stuck out his tongue a little bit at the corner of his mouth as he tried to think of a response. Finally, he figured that it would be better to start with the part that he could comprehend better.

"Ignorance hurts, I know. Especially if it comes from someone you like, I guess," he said. Sasuke nodded in agreement. Naruto was aware that the way in which the two of them experienced ignorance wasn't quite the same – unlike the Uchiha, he had never been ignored by someone whom he loved and who loved him in return – but to a fair degree, he could relate to his friend's feelings. The other issue, however, was beyond him.

"What's so bad about him kissing his teammate, though?"

"What if he doesn't love me anymore?" Sasuke asked instead.

Naruto knitted his brow. "Who says he doesn't love you anymore? I mean, you're his **brother**, dattebayo…!"

"You don't understand!" Sasuke interrupted, shaking his head before continuing in a softer voice: "Nii-san said that he doesn't need anyone else to make him happy. He said he would always love me and always be with me. But the way he looked at her… he never looked at **me** like that. D'you think it's because she can offer him something I cannot?"

"Like what?" Naruto inquired, leaning back a little and supporting himself with his hands. Overhead, white clouds drifted lazily across an azure sky, always only partially obscuring the brightly shining sun.

"Apparently, I couldn't help him preserve the bloodline, for instance," Sasuke answered.

"Really? Who told you that?" Not by any means losing interest in the conversation, but being bored with just sitting there, Naruto leaned over and began to fiddle with some stalks of reed.

"My cousin."

With a hearty tug, Naruto yanked the reed stalk from where it grew and proceeded to lie on his stomach, making patterns and ripples on the water with the tip of his newfound toy. Sasuke shot it a haughty look as if daring it to try and steal all of Naruto's attention.

"Don't you want to ask your parents as well, dattebayo?"

"What are you playing at? My cousin wouldn't tell me anything but the truth," Sasuke retorted testily.

"And he knows everything?" Naruto shot back.

"I don't know. But nii-san listens to him, so why shouldn't **I**?" Pouting slightly because he was offended that Naruto doubted Shisui's reason, Sasuke crossed his arms.

"Did he tell you why you couldn't help with the bloodline thing?" Naruto asked curiously.

"…No, he said he'd tell me when I'm older," Sasuke admitted.

"Aha! There's gotta be some secret to it, and he just doesn't want to fill you in! Why not ask your mom or something if she'd tell you – that's what **I'd** do if I were you, dattebayo!" Naruto grinned.

"I dunno… nii-san told me not to talk to our parents about it. Can't we ask **your** mother instead?" Sasuke waved the advice aside, fidgeting nervously. Not only did he want to obey his brother, but he also wanted to avoid getting his mother into trouble. Trouble that went by the name of Fugaku Uchiha, to be precise.

Naruto shot Sasuke a strange look before cracking a slightly pained smile. "Sorry, no can do. I don't have a mom like you do."

"Oh…" Sasuke blushed a bit, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean to be so inconsiderate." Naruto only shrugged, but Sasuke persisted: "No, really; it was foolish of me to ask… I mean, otherwise you surely wouldn't have been alone at Christmas…"

Flashing his usual grin at him even though considering their current topic, it looked very much out of place, Naruto flicked the stalk at him. A few droplets of water that had coated the brown tip rained on Sasuke before the boy could raise his hands protectively.

"Teme, who are we talking about here: you or me? I thought it was **you**, dattebayo!"

Sasuke just looked away, feeling that he had messed up again. He mumbled something Naruto couldn't make out.

"Look, why don't you just ask him why he kissed her? What's the worst he could do?" the blond asked, sitting up again and dipping the stalk into the water again like a fisherman.

"The worst?" Sasuke repeated and barely needed the fraction of a second to come up with a reply: "Ignore me like he did when I last saw him."

Silence fell between them again as Naruto was once more not sure what he could say; after all, he didn't want to risk offending Sasuke or make him feel even more miserable. Fortunately for him, he was relieved of the task to break the silence when the other boy suddenly said:

"I had a weird dream last night."

Suspecting a possible change of the subject, Naruto took up the issue. "About what, dattebayo?"

"I don't really know, to be honest," Sasuke answered truthfully, gazing skywards as he called on his memory. "But there was blackness. Maybe it sounds kinda crazy, but it was… blacker than black, in a way. Then, in the distance, I saw a red glow… some kind of light, I suppose. I didn't like that light; I don't even like to think about it." As if to emphasize his point, he shuddered. "I also began to hear voices. I don't know whom they belonged to, but all of them sounding menacing. The voices became louder, the light came closer… I thought I couldn't take it anymore!"

"And then?" Naruto asked curiously, his eyes wide. Anticipation made him hold his breath without noticing it. This was the first time he talked about dreams with someone.

"Something… or some**one**… came to me," Sasuke continued quietly, absent-mindedly watching the ripples that the tip of Naruto's stalk made whenever it was jiggled. "I do think it was a person, though. All I saw was a shadow, but it felt as if two arms were holding me. And I forgot that I was scared. I stopped hearing the voices. I felt safe, like when… like when… I'm in nii-san's arms," he finished, almost in a whisper. An ever so faint pink hue appeared on his cheeks.

Naruto whistled softly when his friend was done talking, then grinned.

"I'd really try talking to him. I bet anything that he'll listen to you."

Sasuke sighed. "I do hope you're right; I don't know what I'd do otherwise…"

The Jinchuuriki clapped him on the shoulder encouragingly. "You'll be fine. I mean, hey, you're brothers, and he does seem to like you very much."

"Yeah… thanks, Naruto. I owe you."

"Don't mention it, dattebayo."

Sasuke almost frowned. He really wanted to do Naruto a favor in return, for it didn't seem right to take without giving as well. And was there anyone who deserved it more than someone who gave so much and took so little, someone who still got scorned despite his mistakably good nature? Remaining silent as Naruto leaned out dangerously far over the dock's edge, thinking he had seen a fish – a poke was all it would take to send him falling into the water – Sasuke swore to pay Naruto back someday.

For now (until he could think of something better), he spent the remainder of that sunny afternoon with Naruto, having a good time. Even when they both ended up falling into the water after some careless romping around and they got drenched not only to their skin, but to their bones, practically, their laughter hardly ceased.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

On the way home, however, his high spirits almost got smothered: a street or two away from the entrance to the Uchiha district, he saw his brother. And he wasn't alone. Misaki was with him. Watching them as people kept passing him by, but not hearing a word of what was being said, Sasuke stopped in his tracks.

Misaki fiddled with her hair as she spoke with Itachi. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was fidgeting. Her teammate regarded her with a rather absent look on his face and his arms were crossed until she spread hers a bit in an offering gesture. Sasuke's breath hitched when Itachi gently grabbed her arms, forcing them down again before he gave her a reply. If Sasuke had ever read one of Misaki's infamous novels, he certainly would have been able to place the scene within the storyline, and that place wouldn't have been in his favor. But he knew nothing of that. And yet he felt immensely saddened as he watched them. Most of his self-esteem made itself scarce, and he began to have doubts: could he compete with that? Why should Itachi favor **him** instead of **her**? Misaki was older, knew more, could do more things than him… apparently, she also would be able to help him preserve the bloodline… and to top it off, her looks weren't half bad either. Sasuke could hardly stand it anymore, could barely stand seeing them together… so close… Like by a cruel coincidence, he could see Misaki lean closer to Itachi, her eyes half-closed. But just before he was about to despair, he remembered Naruto's advice, which had been full of certainty. And that confident grin…

'_Yes. He's right; I gotta talk to him. C'mon, Sasuke, just do it!'_ He sighed and turned away, making a detour on the way home so Itachi wouldn't see him. _'Please, aniki, please… I hope you still love me, because __**I**__ sure still love __**you**__…!'_

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Itachi hadn't been home for ten minutes yet and was making notes to complete information about his next mission when a soft knock sounded out at his door.

"Come in," he said, quickly underlining something before putting the documents aside.

The door slowly opened, and Sasuke poked his head into the room. "Aniki?" Noticing the documents on the bedside table, his face fell. "Oh, you're busy… I'm sorry; I just wanted to ask if I could talk to you."

"Of course you may, otouto," Itachi assured him, motioning to him to come and sit down on the bed.

"But if you're busy…" Sasuke began.

"It isn't something I need to finish right now. If you want to talk, I'll be all too ready to listen, Sasuke."

"Oh… okay…"

As he watched Sasuke cross the room and join him on the bed, Itachi had his own little doubts about the truth of his last statement. He had spent a fair amount of time imagining how a confrontation with Sasuke because of the kissing ordeal would be like. Although he had pictured several outcomes of that scene, he didn't really consider himself ready for the real thing. And now that he actually saw his brother, certainly not needing any words to notice how much the whole thing troubled him, he abandoned all his predictions, leaving himself with nothing but his main (though modest) aim: one smile. Just one. If he could only see **that** after their upcoming conversation, he would be happy. Or was that too much to ask for, he wondered. Would **he** smile if he were in Sasuke's shoes…?

"What's on your mind, little brother?" he inquired, breaking the short yet seemingly long silence between them. He watched how Sasuke dug his fingers into the sheets, as if he had just been yelled at.

"Um… I… I…" he began, shifting uneasily. Although Itachi was making no impression whatsoever that he was impatient or anything, Sasuke was greatly unsettled by his stammering. Why did he lack the ability to speak properly in such an important situation…?! Looking down at his hands and biting his lower lip, he gathered his thoughts anew before making another attempt to answer Itachi's question. As much as the expression on his face pained the prodigy, he still admired it in a way. After all, to him, Sasuke never was anything less than beautiful; the scale only reached to other, stronger adjectives with the same basic meaning: gorgeous, lovely and adorable. Angelic, even.

"Aniki, I… I want to know if I did something that upset you," Sasuke finally answered. "You know, because… because you kissed Misaki…"

An awkward silence fell. Itachi stared into space as he tried to decide on a good and therefore convincing excuse (not that he really **had** one in the first place). The blank look on the elder's face unsettled Sasuke quite a bit. He couldn't tell if the other was feeling bad, perhaps irritated, or anything else. His own insecurity made him feel guilty about this confrontation, for he couldn't know that Itachi had repeatedly tried to steel himself for this.

His face flushed with anxiety.

"I-I'm sorry, aniki! You know, as long as you're happy, I'm happy too… and if this is what you want… I didn't mean to be so nosy!" His voice cracked, and that made him feel like a complete idiot. This was not right, not good! How would he ever get appreciated or even respected if he kept messing things up? If their father could see him now… It didn't take much to imagine a disgusted scowl appear on the man's face. Sasuke's eyes widened in horror at that notion.

"Sasuke, Sasuke! Calm down, otouto!" Itachi tried to shush his sibling, grabbing his shoulders and squeezing them a bit. His voice dropped to a deep, soft murmur as Sasuke quieted down. Then, when the youngster's voice died, he let his own fade away with one final soothing whisper. Seeing Sasuke's eyes return to pretty much their normal size was like a first reward to him.

"That's better," Itachi said softly after a few seconds of silence. He released one of Sasuke's shoulders, instead using that hand to give his hair a short pet before caressing his cheek comfortingly, all the while never taking his eyes off the now glistening ones of his brother.

"Sasuke, why do you say such things? You wouldn't **really** be happy, would you?"

"…You're right, aniki," Sasuke confessed, averting his gaze in shame. "I just… it seemed like the right thing to say."

"Because you think this is what I want."

Sasuke nodded glumly. "I saw you today on the way home. You were talking with Misaki. It looked so… so… like you and her were… you know, happy together…" He struggled to explain, but gave up when the dread of losing his brother's love overshadowed any hopes he had of explaining his notions. "Cousin Shisui said that preserving the bloodline is very important, but you and I can't do that together. I don't understand why not, but I trust him. **She** probably could, though, so I guess I am not really a match for her," he finished quietly.

Itachi listened, looking thunderstruck. So that was it… of course, with that thought in mind, no wonder Sasuke had despaired even more when he had seen his supposed brother first kiss Misaki, then talk to her, probably looking like some scene from a romantic point in a cheesy storyline! And if he hadn't heard their most recent discussion in the street a while ago…

"A match, you say? That you can't compete with her?" Sasuke only regarded him sadly. Itachi sighed. "Otouto, you have no reason to worry about that; there is no competition. There never was one, in fact. My heart has always belonged solely to you, and no one else has ever made me feel like I do when I'm with you. I love you so much; I would die a thousand deaths to undo the pain I have caused you."

"Really?" The look of incredulity and relief in Sasuke's eyes was enough to have made a stone melt. Just like the younger one's sheer adorability never ceased to surprise Itachi time and time again, his downright cuteness had a positively entrancing effect on the elder. In comparison to Sasuke – especially nowadays – Itachi felt like a vile monster.

"But I don't understand… why **did** you kiss Misaki, then?" Sasuke continued.

This time, it was Itachi who averted his gaze. He wished for nothing more than to give Sasuke a most honest answer, but he forbade himself to do that; he feared for his brother's safety. He had lots of faith in his sibling, yet he doubted that Sasuke could convincingly pull off an act of indifference and oblivion. And as Chief of the Police and their father, who else but Fugaku would be the first to notice? It was a guaranteed worst-case-scenario. He couldn't let that happen!

"I wish I knew, but I don't. Perhaps the devil made me do it. But I still love only you… I hope you believe me."

Silencing, he stared at how Sasuke's hands clutched the sheets they were sitting on. Vaguely, he wondered if he was only imagining that it wasn't practically a death grip anymore. He hardly even noticed the absence of one hand until he felt it tugging at his sleeve. He looked up, meeting Sasuke's gaze again.

"I don't want you to die, aniki. That would only make me sad."

There it was again: another one of those childishly innocent replies from Sasuke. It restored Itachi's hopes that the youngster would forgive "him".

"Sasuke… Can you forgive me?" he asked quietly as he wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him tightly.

Two hands entangled themselves in his long hair as Sasuke returned the hug. "Yes, nii-san, of course."

Smiling, Itachi loosened his grip enough so he could whisper into Sasuke's ear, his lips nearly brushing it as he spoke: "Thank you, my dearest little brother."

Almost tempted to shiver due to the velvety sound of that whisper, Sasuke hummed with delight and snuggled up to Itachi again. And although that pleasure was short-lived, when he was released from the embrace again, he got something even better in return.

It was the first time they had kissed in a week, and from the very instant their lips met, the magic of this touch had ensnared their senses. What was only supposed to be a loving make-up-kiss became a second kiss, then a third one, and then even more. Sasuke's hands let go of the sheets as he clung to Itachi's shirt instead. The older Uchiha lowered his arms a bit as he held Sasuke around the waist, bringing them as close together as could be. A soft whimper was heard when he gave Sasuke's lower lip a careful, affectionate nip. Kissing his brother like this already drove him crazy enough, but hearing him make noises like that was the icing on the cake. With a lustful moan, Itachi let his tongue wander past the younger one's parted lips. What a delight it was to finally get another taste of that warmth and sweetness! It was nothing else but heaven. Sweet, merciful heaven. Alas, even there, one couldn't go on forever without drawing breath again after a while, and reluctantly, Itachi forced himself to break free – even though it was somewhat of a relief to fill his lungs with oxygen again.

Sasuke closed the minimal distance between them again as he clung tightly to Itachi. There was an expression of plain begging in his half-closed eyes, a desire for more. The elder marveled at how even a boy that young could sport such an intriguing expression, a silent plea to get seduced. And once he would be older, the whole thing would become even more delightful… The mere thought of that made Itachi feel hot all over while he claimed Sasuke's lips in another loving kiss.

Paradise…!

Suddenly, someone knocked on Itachi's door. Although it wasn't the rapt sort of knocking, it still was a sudden and unwelcome disruption of their rapturous pleasure. They ended the kiss, though remaining barely more than an inch apart, and looked to the door for a second before looking back at each other again.

"Aniki…" Sasuke began. He sounded remorseful, Itachi thought; a sure sign that he was – or had been – enjoying their… "interaction" immensely. The same could be said for him, and this time, his desires refused to get suppressed just like that.

"I know. But please, kiss me again, Sasuke!"

In no time, they had come together again in yet another passionate kiss, still longing for more. It was amazing how it had gotten out of hand so quickly… and now, even though they were about to be caught, neither one of them could stop. In a corner at the back of his mind, Itachi's ignored rationality prayed that it wasn't Fugaku.

With a rather quiet clatter, the door was slid open, and someone gasped. The brothers ended the kiss, though not too quickly, since it was obvious that they had been caught and wouldn't be able to deceive anybody by parting hastily. Besides, their breathlessness and burning cheeks were a dead giveaway too. Itachi and Sasuke looked at the door again, bracing themselves for the moment of truth.

Mikoto was standing there, one hand touching her lips in a delayed attempt to stifle her gasp. Her black eyes were as wide as Sasuke's had been before and bore a similar expression. Unmoving, she stared at her sons sitting on the bed, holding each other in a possessive embrace after having kissed just a second ago. There was no way she had merely imagined that. Very slowly, she lowered her hand, and her lips moved, but no sound escaped them. Itachi in particular wondered if perhaps he should say something instead – but if so, then what? – but he had just begun to open his mouth when Mikoto managed to speak:

"Itachi… Sasuke…?!"

It was only their names, but it was a start.

"Okasan…" Itachi began, but that was as far as he got. What could one say to their mother who had just walked in on them doing something she probably hadn't expected to see? What could you say when your mother was gaping at you because you had kissed your brother with immense passion? Right next to him, he felt Sasuke shudder, and he moved one hand from the boy's waist to his back to give it a soothing rub.

"What are you **doing**?!" Mikoto finally continued, entering the room and quickly closing the door behind her.

As a defiant look lit up his eyes, Itachi tightened his grip on Sasuke once more. Okay, so maybe now their mother had stumbled upon their secret, but that didn't mean that he had to push Sasuke away. That wouldn't change anything. And he wouldn't let anyone take Sasuke away from him. Not without a fight.

"Why didn't you lock the door? After all, it could have been your father who came in instead of me…!" Keeping her voice down as if Fugaku were outside in the hallway, listening, she quickly crossed the room.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at that comment. To him, what mattered was that someone **had** caught them in the first place, so was it that much of a difference if their mother had done so instead of their father? Unless… **unless**…

He got an idea, an idea which suggested that there was still hope for him and Sasuke. Hope for what they shared.

Meanwhile, Sasuke regarded his mother anxiously as she approached them, afraid that she would come and tear him away from Itachi because she didn't understand how much his brother meant to him. Mikoto crouched in front of him and smiled reassuringly.

"Sasuke, darling, it's alright. I haven't come to scold you, nor will I take you away. Please don't look at me like that…" she whispered, reaching out for him. Sasuke froze, and his expression only became more relaxed when she tenderly brushed his long bangs out of his face.

"It's alright," she repeated softly.

"Okasan…" Sasuke murmured.

Itachi watched with amazement and relief how she interacted with Sasuke. He **had** guessed that if their secret would ever be revealed, her reaction wouldn't be as harsh as their father's, but this by far surpassed anything he had imagined. The look of shock on her face had worried him, but now she seemed to have gone back to her usual self again. Nothing appeared to have changed in terms of fondness, love and solicitude. Perhaps his hope wasn't as wild as he at first thought it was…

"Itachi, dear?" Her voice made him awaken from his musings. Blinking, he looked at her. "Would you mind?"

'_Mind what?'_ No sooner had that thought crossed his mind when he already nodded.

Smiling with relief, Mikoto carefully pried Sasuke from his grasp (Itachi allowed that because he no longer had second thoughts about letting Sasuke go now) and took his place beside Itachi instead, though keeping him well within reaching distance of the elder from where he now sat on her lap. Sasuke leaned against her trustfully, and she rewarded him by lightly kissing his head.

While she did that, Itachi reached out and touched Sasuke's hand, the one closest to him that was clutching Mikoto's sleeve. The youngster shifted a bit to look at him and smiled in utmost contentment. It made Itachi wish to already hold him in his arms again. Heck, he even was a tad bit jealous of his mother… was he that much in love with Sasuke?! He sighed quietly. Of course he was. Sasuke was his everything; he valued him more than any fame he could obtain, more than the village, more than everyone… more than his own life, even.

"Okasan, what will happen now? What will you do?" Itachi asked in a sinking voice, barely moving his fingers against Sasuke's in a feather-light caress.

"You know that your father and I have no secrets from each other," Mikoto said.

Itachi's gaze hardened as he looked at her. "Chichi will not be happy about this, of that I'm sure. If he chooses to express his feelings on this matter and they are anything like I think they will be, I insist that Sasuke is left out of it."

"But nii-san –!" Sasuke piped up worriedly.

Right away, his mother shushed him with a barely audible whisper as she held him closely. Itachi sat back as he waited for a response, no matter what it would be. He wouldn't change his mind. When she had more or less calmed Sasuke down, Mikoto focused on her older son again.

"That wasn't all I wanted to say. Yes, your father would be most displeased if he found out about this. The suspicion itself is already most unsettling for him… where he got a hint from, I do not know. But to hear him talk about it and what he would do if it were true…" She trailed off and shook her head sadly. "At times, I can't believe he's talking about his own sons. It's a shame that he takes out all the negative experiences he had with his brothers on you. You see, he never was really in favor of you growing up together in harmony."

"But this even goes beyond everything **you** hoped for, doesn't it?" Itachi asked.

"Admittedly, you're right, but even so, I want to let both of you know that I am still here for you. I always will be. You are my children, so I wish you only the best." She paused as Sasuke hugged her happily, then continued: "So you see, even though your father and I usually don't have secrets from each other, I couldn't bear to tell him about… you. It would mean not only destroying my hopes, but more importantly, your happiness as well, and that is the very last thing I want to do," she finished softly.

Relieved as he may be, her words worried Itachi all the same. "But what about you? What if chichi finds out that you knew and didn't tell him?"

His happiness quickly turning into anxiety, Sasuke looked up at her. Even he knew that Fugaku really hated secrets. "Yeah… okasan, you'll get into trouble…!"

"No, no, dear, I'll be fine," she told him, gently making him let go of the front of her apron, which he had grabbed in his worry. "But we can only make this happen together. You must be extremely careful; I couldn't imagine anything that would upset him more than knowing that his dread has come to be."

Itachi looked away and remained silent, though he could think of one other option: having a traitor within his ranks – living under the same roof as him, even! – might just set Fugaku off as much as the discovery that his sons had it in for each other. Finding out about the treachery issue would only lead to consequences for **him**, but the revelation of their relationship would affect Sasuke badly as well – and that was exactly what he was trying to avoid at all costs…

His brow furrowed and he frowned as those troubling thoughts took over his mind. He hated them, and he hated himself for not being able to shut them out.

Then, like a ray of light that shone through the darkness, he felt Mikoto's slender fingers beneath his chin, gently forcing him to look up again. A beautiful, sweet smile played on her lips, perfectly matching the look in her eyes.

"Promise me that you'll be careful, Itachi. Promise me that you'll look out not only for yourself, but for Sasuke as well. Don't let Fugaku treat him the same way he treated you… and please, even if it might… even if it might be hard sometimes, don't force him to do something he doesn't want to do. Can you promise me that?" she asked quietly. Her fingers left their spot beneath his chin to brush a stray bang out of his face.

Itachi briefly glanced at Sasuke, who was still snuggled up against Mikoto, one hand clutching her sleeve for additional support. A desire so strong that it was almost an ache washed over Itachi; the desire to hold Sasuke close to him again… he wanted to give the boy as much affection as possible while he still could. Who knew exactly what Madara would do to teach him the twisted art of shutting out all emotions, so who knew how much it would affect him? Itachi's greatest worry was that what little time he still had in Sasuke's actual presence wouldn't be enough for him to lock this new demon away. And if that were the case, it would hurt his little brother very much.

Still, he was hell-bent on protecting Sasuke, so that wasn't a promise he couldn't keep.

"I promise, okasan," he said solemnly.

"Thank you, dear. Now, how about turning that frown upside down, hmm?" she suggested with a wink.

Itachi only cocked his head just a little bit.

"Yeah! Smile, nii-san!" Sasuke encouraged him as well.

His brother then complied, though only faintly. Sasuke knew he could do better, though. Noticing the look of utmost fondness and longing that he was being given, Sasuke fidgeted as he tried to get out of his mother's embrace. Mikoto looked from one brother to the other and understood. With a chuckle, she lifted Sasuke up and handed him to Itachi, who wasted no time at all to wrap his arms around his sibling and bury his face in his hair. Catching a glimpse of his face when he turned his head, Mikoto saw that Itachi was now smiling genuinely, and the delight of holding his younger brother again made his cheeks turn a delicate pink. It was a sight she would have loved to capture on film, but a memory would do as well, she decided as she watched them just a little longer before she finally rose again.

She wished she should linger for a few more moments, but it was dangerous to stay away too long when she had claimed only to quickly check on them – Fugaku wasn't in the best of moods, and it didn't take much to make him suspicious.

"I'll start fixing dinner now, so please come downstairs in… let's say, twenty minutes," she told them.

"Okay, okasan," Sasuke replied.

Itachi only hummed in agreement.

"Alright then. See you in a bit." She ruffled Sasuke's hair once more affectionately and lightly stroked one of Itachi's bangs too before turning away to leave. At the door, she paused and turned around. "Oh, and one more thing: Itachi?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't forget to lock the door next time, honey. It's safer," she pointed out.

Oh boy, she sure was something else. Itachi was amazed all over again. First she didn't take his revealed passion for his brother like any way he had imagined she would, and now she was even giving them advice on how to keep it as secret as possible! How could someone with such a good heart ever fall for a man like Fugaku? What had he ever done to deserve someone like her…?!

"I'll remember next time. Thank you, okasan… for everything," he added quietly.

She just beamed. "Don't mention it." Then she stepped out of the room, and the door slid shut behind her.

"Aniki, I thought you said they wouldn't understand…" Sasuke remarked when they were alone.

"I know, otouto. I suppose I was wrong about haha… but I still am absolutely convinced that chichi's reaction would be the exact opposite. You know that too, don't you? You know that just because haha seems to tolerate or even appreciate us, we mustn't even **begin** to hope that chichi will ever do the same?"

"Yes… I suppose so," Sasuke muttered. "But you know, if he **would** accept it…"

"…that would be most fortunate, without a doubt," Itachi finished as Sasuke moved on his lap, bedding his head on the elder's chest. "But you can't always get you want. And not everything you wish for comes true, either. Still; haha says we can still count on her. And Shisui too." A smile flitted across his face as he remembered their conversation prior to their mother's intrusion. "But I guess that's nothing new for you, right?"

"Yeah… he said he knew it before I gave myself away. I was so worried because I had broken my promise to you, but when he was so understanding… I knew I didn't need to worry anymore."

"We should really consider ourselves lucky to know somebody like him," Itachi said.

"And he's our cousin too! That makes it even better!" Sasuke added happily.

Itachi could feel those nagging feelings of guilt rise up again as they spoke of Shisui, and he tried to push them aside – he had only just comforted Sasuke, so he didn't want to unsettle him all over again. And yet it was so hard… so hard to ignore the fact that sooner or later, he would annihilate that young man who truly had a heart of gold. The Mangekyou Sharingan would forever be a reminder of that crime.

"Otouto, we've still got a couple of minutes left. What do you want to do until we have to go down?" he whispered, running his fingers through Sasuke's hair.

"I don't know. What do **you** want to do, aniki?" the younger Uchiha merely asked.

"Well… we do have a bit of unfinished business left," Itachi replied thoughtfully. "Remember? Before haha came in…"

"That is unfinished?" Sasuke repeated, sitting up again.

Itachi bowed his head until their foreheads touched. "It is – at least, in my opinion. Now, if you don't want anymore of that…" he began matter-of-factly.

"No, no, that's not what I meant! I just didn't know that you considered it unfinished!" Sasuke protested.

"Easy now, otouto." Itachi kissed the tip of his nose. "It was just a reminder. And besides, I promised haha that I wouldn't force you to do something you don't want to do."

"I want this, nii-san," Sasuke murmured.

"That's good; I want this too," Itachi purred, then kissed Sasuke tenderly.

And just a kiss or two later, they were back where they had left off.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Later that night, after finishing the wash-up and other little things that needed to be done before going to bed (which included saying goodnight to her children), Mikoto was in bed, reading a book on advanced calligraphy while she waited for her husband to get ready as well. Faintly, she could hear a snort from the other room as Fugaku splashed water on his face. A minute later, he entered the bedroom again, wordlessly getting into bed beside her. Without saying a word herself, she put the book aside after neatly folding the page she had been reading, then turned off the light. Now the only lights that remained were several thin beams of moonlight that shone through the almost-closed blinds. As she lay there in the dark with her eyes still open, Mikoto looked at her bedside table, where she knew the picture of her two sons was standing. Little Sasuke was in Itachi's arms, and the prodigy himself was smiling the smallest of smiles. But if one looked closely enough, one could find the bigger smile in his eyes, a mirror of his love for his baby brother.

Mikoto thought about what she had witnessed before dinner. Neither one of her children had explicitly stated that they loved each other, but what else could be concluded from that passionate kiss she had interrupted? She wondered about their future. Would they be condemned to keep it a secret forever? If so, could they pull it off? Sadly, they would hardly have any other choice if they wanted to evade their father's wrath; Fugaku was counting especially on Itachi for more hopefully prodigious children for the clan when the revolt was over and their reign established. He had that part all planned out. Mikoto had not exactly bothered to get too carried away with dreaming about another outcome for her sons' future, but in secret, she believed that everyone had to find their own heaven with someone else. It was everyone's wish to eventually find their special person, so wouldn't it only be fair to let everyone search and find in peace, free from any arrangements and likewise? Remembering how genuinely happy Itachi and Sasuke had been with each other, it pained her to think about how it seemed most unlikely that they would be able to make that free choice. And Fugaku was anything but reasonable in this matter, so all she could do was try to help them keep their secret.

"Mikoto?" her husband's deep voice inquired beside her.

"Yes, dear?" she asked.

"I've been thinking… what would you say if our suspicion would turn out to be true, and the plans for our sons would all go to the dogs just because of some…" He paused, and Mikoto knew he was grimacing because that was what he always did when he thought about a possible deeper relationship between Itachi and Sasuke. "…twisted attraction?"

She didn't frown very often, but this was one of the occasions on which she couldn't resist making a face. **Their** suspicion? Since when was it **their** suspicion? **She** had always been neutral about the issue; **he** was the one making one huge fuss about it! "Why do you ask?" she inquired.

"Because much as I hate to admit it, I can't shake the feeling that that guess isn't too far off. I've done everything I can to make Itachi see what his future could be like if he just stayed away from all that holds him back – and yet it seems as if he isn't trying any harder to pursue his destiny and encourage Sasuke to grow up, to try and become just as good as him, or even better, if possible. It's as if I have gone wrong somewhere… when **I** was his age, I was constantly competing with my brothers, trying to be the best…"

"But dear, that was **your** childhood. What right do we have to force Itachi and Sasuke to grow up just like that? Just because you were raised like that doesn't mean we should raise our sons in the same fashion –" Mikoto began.

"Why not? It's not like I missed out on anything just because I concentrated on becoming the best instead of pursuing other silly activities like playing games and such," Fugaku huffed.

Mikoto sighed softly. Of course he said that; after all, he didn't know any better. Competition among siblings was all he had ever known, so he hadn't bothered considering other ways to raise children of his own. And she was pretty sure that he **had** missed out on some things – it was the perfect explanation as to why he smiled so rarely.

"We shouldn't be disappointed if their upbringing didn't go quite according to some plans. Happiness is an important part of life too, and it shouldn't ever be disapproved of."

"Are you by any means saying that you wouldn't mind if they were different?!" Fugaku asked sharply as he quickly turned around, facing her again with a warning glare that nobody could see.

But she could feel it. Even though she had her back turned on him. "No, no!" she hastily said. He was definitely agitated, and she figured that the best protection for her sons would be if she would pretend to be on his side. Itachi and Sasuke knew that she was nothing like him, that she was on their side, and as long as they knew that, she could afford to play this other part. "I was talking about their upbringing, not… the other issue!" She deliberately paused to make the statement sound pretty Fugaku-like, hoping that it would convince him.

A rather long, pointed silence followed that response. Mikoto lay motionless, praying that this conversation would be over soon. Usually, when Fugaku was this silent and she could still feel his piercing stare, it was a bad sign. She was glad that she had her back turned on him.

"…I see."

He didn't sound convinced, but it was with relief that she noticed the bed jiggle a bit as he turned around again. A soft grunt could be heard from him as he did so, and that typically meant that the conversation was over and they could go to sleep, facing away from each other like it had been for several years now. Mikoto imagined wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, glad that this topic was covered for today. But just when she had closed her eyes, she heard a low growl from the other side of the bed:

"You had better be honest with me, Mikoto. Because if there are any secrets around here, I **will** uncover them…!"

She swallowed as quietly as she could and closed her eyes tightly, praying that that wouldn't come to be. She prayed for her sons to be spared from their father if the worst would come to be, and that she could take the consequences all by herself in their stead…

* * *

If the scene with Mikoto and her sons seemed illogical/strange to anybody, blame it on my mind! However, the original dream for the scene was a much more abbreviated and sickeningly fluffy version that I was imagining whenever I listened to "Meadows of Heaven" by Nightwish (BTW, for those of you who might be interested: I will list the songs that inspired me at the end of the fic. I like to do stuff like that, and who knows, maybe you'll find one or another song you like too...) ;)

Well, I guess that's all I can say for now. Besides, it's bedtime for me now! Four and a half hours of sleep... ah well, at least I could update! XD Hope you all are doing well and will have a fine Monday tomorrow/today!

_~dd_


	16. Escapade to paradise

Greetings, my friends! I hope you're all doing well and such... and I hope this update can make you at least a little bit happy. And if it doesn't, I hope that the most recent chapter of Kishimoto-sensei was better. Gee, I sure hope Sasuke-kun makes an appearance very soon! ^_^ There has still got to be a huge final showdown, and I can barely wait to read it. I can hardly stand the suspense anymore...

Like I said at the end of the previous chapter, this one could be considered a filler, but as soon as I was done with it, I started writing the next chapter. I hope you can forgive me for not having wanted to skip to Shisui's death right after the previous chapter... _(crosses fingers)_

Hmm... what else? Oh yes, warnings: run for your lives, it's yet another attempt of mine to write a make-out scene! Kinda... Anyway, feel free to hunt me down with an axe to chop my fingers off if you found it crappy! :)

* * *

One look at the long, thin package that was given to him was all Itachi needed to guess what was inside it. And if that guess was correct, Madara wouldn't bitch around too much because he wouldn't show up today for their "training", as they had actually planned to… Itachi barely made a rip in the wrapping paper at all as he removed it from the package. The way it had been wrapped perfectly and the fact that it **was** wrapped at all told him that although the present was from his father, Mikoto had given it the final touch. He opened the box – and sure enough, he found himself looking at a familiar object.

Fugaku was watching his older son intently and mistook the glint of recognition for one of excitement.

"At first, I wanted to wait with this until you really joined the ANBU, but then again, it can only be an advantage if you can get used to it beforehand. Wield it skillfully and deftly, and you will surely make your mark amongst enemies as well."

"Wow, aniki!" Sasuke exclaimed, popping up behind Itachi and peering over his shoulder. "It's like the katana we saw at Christmas!"

Itachi could only agree; in fact, he wouldn't be surprised if it were the exact some one. It was a magnificent, deadly weapon just like the one they had seen on display. Nevertheless, he picked it up to examine it closely. He felt Sasuke's hands on his left shoulder as the youngster leaned in for a better look.

"Thank you, otosan," Itachi said.

"You're welcome," Fugaku replied, scowling when Sasuke reached out to touch the blade which gleamed in the sunlight that shone through the window. Mikoto noticed this and frowned at her husband, who did his very best to ignore her just then.

Itachi had just turned the blade in his hands again when Sasuke nearly managed to touch it. His brother interfered in the last moment, though: swiftly grabbing the handle with one hand, he half-turned on the spot and caught Sasuke's hand with his free one.

"Don't, otouto," he warned him, keeping his voice low. "Remember what I told you about this weapon – running around with scissors is a joke compared to this. And I don't want you to get hurt."

Sasuke felt the heat rise to his cheeks – their faces were but an inch or two apart, and he could feel Itachi's warm breath on his skin, but fortunately remembering where they were, he withdrew his hand. To his slight surprise, Itachi's fingers never left his until his hand dropped beneath the elder's shoulder.

"But… I just wanted to get a better look, nii-san…"

"Maybe so, but I know that you like to look with your hands almost more than you do with your eyes, Sasuke."

"Aww… pleeeeeeeease, Itachi? I promise I'll be careful!" Sasuke begged, making his eyes really, really big. Big and full of an irresistible, pleading look. That alone was enough to almost bust any scale of cuteness, and all that was missing to make **that** happen was the quivering lip… and perhaps a bit of groveling.

As tempting as it was to give in to that adorable begging, Itachi merely chuckled and poked Sasuke's forehead with two fingers. With a stifled squeak, Sasuke sat back, one of his hands covering the spot Itachi had poked.

"Some other time, Sasuke."

Sasuke pouted, but Itachi could tell that he wasn't truly offended. Mikoto giggled softly. Fugaku narrowed his eyes slightly as he cast a glance at her.

Itachi took notice of that and decided that this was a good time to move on to a more… thoroughly enjoyable part of his birthday. A part he had been secretly looking forward to for a couple of days now.

With that thought in mind, he excused himself, claiming that he wanted to go for a walk. Fugaku was suspicious about this because Itachi wasn't really the type who suddenly wanted to go for a walk, but having foreseen this, Itachi explained:

"There are many things I must think about, otosan. Things that concern the future."

He said that in such a grave tone of voice that Fugaku truly regained hope that his older son was starting to focus on more important issues; the eventual joining of the ANBU, for instance. That thought was extremely appealing to him, so he nodded, grimly satisfied.

"It's about time. Better late than never, though…"

"Hn." And without another word, but a mere nod to his parents instead, Itachi left the table, and a moment later, one could hear the front door open and close with his departure.

"Oh, Itachi forgot to put his present away," Mikoto remarked, closing the box. Then she turned to Sasuke. "Could you take it to his room, Sasuke? I do want the table to be cleared off for dinner tonight…"

Sasuke looked very happy about that suggestion, but Fugaku's enthusiasm was very limited.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he scoffed.

Of course, this was a blow to Sasuke's spirits – **why** did his father distrust him so much? It wasn't as if he had played around with the katana and had foolishly managed to cut himself, after all… Mikoto must have been thinking along the same lines, for she replied:

"Please don't be like this; he'll only be taking it upstairs. And you won't open the box, will you, honey?" she asked quietly, glancing back at Sasuke.

Regaining his composure, Sasuke hastily stood straight again, almost like a little soldier. "I won't! I won't touch it; I won't even look at it! I promise!"

"See? Give him a chance…" Mikoto pleaded.

Fugaku crossed his arms, and even a blind man could have been able to tell that his opinion hadn't changed – or at least not very much.

"…Oh…" His wife kept giving him a pleading look. A **very** pleading look. "…Fine," he finally grumbled. "But for the love of God, Sasuke, do as you promised!" he warned his younger son.

Unlike Itachi, who had close to no respect for his father these days, Sasuke bowed his head respectfully. "I will, otosan," he said. His heart beat faster for a moment because this time – what a fortune! – he had been able to keep his voice as steady as Itachi's, even under the very stern gaze of the Police Chief.

His expression quickly switched from serious to delighted when Mikoto handed him the box and sent him off with a gentle, encouraging push. As he walked up the stairs to Itachi's room, he was almost strutting because he was so proud to carry his brother's weapon. But as he deposited it on Itachi's bed, he stopped and regarded the box longingly instead of turning around right away. Still being a child, he couldn't shake the feeling that others at his age would get too; he was curious, so curious that for a brief second or two, he almost considered breaking his promise. He longed to know what it was like to hold the katana. For it belonged to Itachi, his idol, and Sasuke had no doubts whatsoever that it would make Itachi even more powerful. He could already hear everyone's exclamations of awe while Itachi brandished the katana with all his grace, skill and precision. And maybe… maybe someday, he could do the same, and people would respect him. Then even his father couldn't deem him a disappointment anymore!

Driven by his thoughts and hopes, he slowly raised his right hand and –

Suddenly reminding himself that he was about to make an almost fatal mistake, he quickly stepped away from the bed. No matter how much he longed to touch and hold the katana anyway, he mustn't forget what he had promised! Fugaku would be beyond infuriated if he found out something like that, and Sasuke knew that it was pointless to lie because he was much easier to read than Itachi. He would give himself away in a heartbeat.

Immensely relieved that he hadn't yet gone a step too far, Sasuke whirled around and left the room at a run. Besides, there was someplace he needed to go, and by almost getting carried away, he might be late…

"…don't see why you're so upset," Mikoto's voice drifted out of the kitchen, to which Sasuke was headed. The boy stopped just around the corner and listened.

"The way he acted, one might think that I gave Itachi a toy instead of a weapon!" Fugaku explained. Like for ninety-nine percent of his life so far, he didn't sound like a happy camper at all.

"Sasuke knows it's not a toy," Mikoto argued.

"Then why couldn't he act as if he knows that? I suppose a pinch of admiration is quite conceivable – it **was** the best one they could offer, after all – but he should know that seeing something doesn't mean he has to touch it as well."

"Now you're really taking this too far. Honestly; I thought it would please you that Sasuke showed interest in the katana! Or haven't you been saying that you wish to see him busy himself with something which would be a sign that he has matured?"

"That I have, but I also expect to see a fitting behavior in that situation!"

"He's just six, Fugaku…"

"**Itachi** wouldn't have acted like that."

There it was again: the comparison of him and Itachi. And as usual – probably like it always would be, he thought resignedly – Sasuke remained in the darkest shadow while the spotlight shone on Itachi. All his attempts (half-hearted or not) to gain a bit of respect from his father were in vain, and like now, just when Sasuke thought he might have a thicker skin the next time, hearing so much scorn in the man's voice hurt. It hurt because he respected him without getting the favor returned, and also because he knew that Fugaku **was** capable of respecting people. In his particular case, however, it seemed to remain wishful thinking. His spirits sank, and Sasuke bit his lip, wishing he could relive that moment again and act just like he was expected to.

"Dear, this ongoing comparison really should stop. It isn't doing Sasuke any good; it's not motivating him, but crushing him instead," Mikoto spoke in a strained voice, for whenever she saw Sasuke suffer from Fugaku's harsh judgment, she silently suffered as well.

"It always worked for **me**; that's why I was more successful than my brothers."

"But this isn't about you and your brothers! It's about Itachi and Sasuke! Why won't you be at least a bit more differentiated?!" Now Mikoto sounded exasperated, and typically, that was a sign that the argument was about to end. The actual ending couldn't be predicted, however, for there was no pattern to them.

For what seemed like an awfully long while, there was silence in the kitchen, and Sasuke was about to peer around the corner when his mother said softly:

"Please, Fugaku… be a bit more lenient towards Sasuke. He really is trying very hard. Does he truly have to accomplish all the things Itachi did before you'll show him some approval?"

There was a brief pause, but then Fugaku merely stated in a tone of voice that tolerated no further objections:

"I will not be disgraced by either one of my sons. In order for them to strive for being the best and gaining everlasting honor, my expectations will remain high, and that's final."

There was no time for Sasuke to let the words sink in; he could already hear his father's footsteps as the man proceeded to leave the kitchen. All he could think about was how he couldn't afford to get caught there and then.

Hurriedly, he retreated to the nearest possible hiding spot, where he could hide himself around the corner. Standing absolutely still even though his heartbeat surely had to be visible, as he thought, he watched and listened. A moment later, his father passed the hiding spot. He didn't even look in that direction – perhaps he wasn't expecting somebody to listen in on him and Mikoto because he suspected that Sasuke was still upstairs, fooling around with the katana. If so, then he would go to Itachi's room first, then to Sasuke's room, and if he wouldn't find the boy there, he might either come downstairs again or retreat to his study. Sasuke decided not to chance it – it was high time he got going, and if that would spare him from potential trouble, then it was even better.

Quickly, he entered the kitchen. Mikoto was standing at the sink, working on something.

"Okasan?" Sasuke spoke up.

"Oh, there you are, honey. I was wondering what kept you," she remarked, turning around to beam at him.

"…I didn't want to interrupt you and chichi," Sasuke answered truthfully.

Her movements ceased to be, and for a second or two, she didn't move at all until she finally turned away from the sink. She was holding a basket. "How much did you hear?" she asked slowly.

Sasuke just looked away uncomfortably and shrugged. Enough, Mikoto concluded. She lightly caressed Sasuke's cheek in a gesture of comfort.

"Try not to think about it, Sasuke," she told him quietly.

"Okasan?"

"Hmm?"

"Am I really that immature?" Sasuke asked miserably.

"You mustn't think of it that way. Your father just was so proud of Itachi… and I believe he's still caught up in that. But he's forgetting that not many children – few, in fact – are like Itachi. You're just six, Sasuke… you shouldn't be rushed like this. In my eyes, you're doing absolutely fine."

"Really?"

"Of course. You just need a little more time than Itachi, and that is not a bad thing. Now, enough of those gloomy thoughts; you've got places to be, haven't you?" She handed him the basket.

When he took it, Sasuke managed a small smile again. "Just like we planned?"

"Just like we planned," she whispered and kissed his cheek before standing up again. "Now off you go, and don't forget that you shouldn't be late for dinner tonight."

"I won't forget, okasan. And thank you!" Sasuke hugged her gratefully, then hurried off.

Mikoto watched him go, even after he had already disappeared around the corner. She hoped that whatever he had heard of her conversation with Fugaku wouldn't trouble his mind for too long, for her little angel's aim for today was to bring happiness, after all. Then again… considering their arrangements for today, it was most unlikely that his troubles would be lasting.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sasuke wondered how late he was as he ran through the gates and out of the Uchiha district, trying to hold the basket as steady as he could anyway. He found out soon enough: reaching the nearest exit of the village, he stopped, panting a bit and looking around expectantly. Seeing nobody, he became worried. Was he that late? Too late, maybe? But the plan… he had been looking forward to it so much…

"You're late," a deep voice spoke.

"I'm sorry! Honestly!" Sasuke exclaimed.

In a flash, a shadow jumped out of the tree closest to the boy, and two arms wrapped themselves around his middle, pulling him toward the other's body. For a moment, a nose rooted around in his hair, nuzzling him affectionately before the voice sounded out again, now next to his ear:

"There's no need to apologize. However, I'd like to get a taste of my present now…"

"But what if someone comes and sees us?"

"Nobody else is here. Trust me."

And because he trusted him blindly, Sasuke turned around and was greeted with the delightful feeling of warm lips against his. At first just a caress, full of tenderness and sweet love, then increasing in intensity and pressure. A pinch of fiery passion slipped into the kiss, and then – it ended. He was free to breathe again, even though he actually wished it weren't so. Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at Itachi. One look was all it took to tell that Itachi had longed very much for him to finally come along. Sasuke knew that his brother had been looking forward to this for quite a while now, and since he had even been late…

"I didn't mean to keep you waiting, aniki. It **is** your birthday, after all."

"I know you didn't, but don't worry so much, Sasuke. I got my present now, so I am nothing else but happy," Itachi assured him. Looking down, he noticed that his brother hadn't come empty-handed. "And what have we here, if I may ask?"

"Just a couple of treats haha made for us… Gee, I hope the dango are still okay; you know, since I was running and all," Sasuke mumbled, peeking into the basket.

Dango? That provided a possible explanation as to why there hadn't been very much to eat for lunch. He made a mental note to thank his mother extra, even though she would also be preparing a very nice dinner for the occasion. "I must say, that is an interesting freight. But even if they weren't quite okay anymore, it would make no difference to me." Itachi took his brother's free hand, and they began to walk off to the northern borders of the village.

"But you love dango, nii-san! They're your present! How can you say it makes no difference?" Sasuke protested.

"Foolish little brother," Itachi chuckled, "you may be right about my favorite food, but I merely regard it as a small part of my present. The time I get to spend with you is my **real** present, the most important thing of all."

A brilliant smile lit up Sasuke's face for good, and Itachi took great pleasure in that sight as they kept on walking. Not too far away from the Hokage Rock, they reached a small hill in front of the woods. It was a beautiful spot where one was free to choose whether to look at the skies or the village instead.

"This spot is great, nii-san!" Sasuke marveled as he put down the basket, looking around and admiring the view.

"I'm glad you like it. Now we can truly move on to a more delightful part of this day," Itachi replied.

"Yay!" Sasuke cheered and flopped onto his back, looking as happy as could be. It was impossible to look at him without smiling too, for his happiness was contagious.

Itachi followed suit, though in a more graceful manner. Not taking his eyes off Sasuke, he noticed the look of adoration the youngster was giving him as he settled down. So, his brother liked what he was seeing… well, he could work with that. Shifting, Itachi lay on his side instead, still facing Sasuke.

"Otouto, I just began to wonder when I'll get the rest of my… present," he ended with an unmistakable purr in his voice as he slowly let his fingers wander from Sasuke's chest to his face, where he caressed one of the boy's cheeks. The skin was very warm to the touch, and even if he had been blind just then, Itachi could have told that Sasuke was blushing.

"The rest of it?" Sasuke repeated. He was too busy enjoying Itachi's tender loving care to really think about what he was saying.

Itachi didn't mind this – he wasn't aiming to have an intellectual conversation with him, after all. "Yes, the rest," he answered. "Keep in mind that I don't consider haha's treats to be the **real** present. But let me give you a hint anyway."

Even as he spoke the last words in a velvety voice, he rolled over with no less grace than before, straddling Sasuke's hips. He paused for a mere second to let the other get a good look at the look in his eyes, then he bowed his head until their lips met. Like always in a moment like this, it felt so right, like it was meant to be. It was his private little paradise, and Itachi planned to keep it that way.

Yes, it was all his, and his alone. The emotions he felt as a result of those thoughts were what made Itachi deepen the kiss, and his hint became even less subtle than it was to begin with: when Sasuke opened his mouth a bit as if to take a deep breath, Itachi reacted instantly, briefly slipping his tongue into the other's mouth to give his sibling's tongue a slow, passionate caress before he ended the kiss. His mind accepted this course of action, but his body sure as hell didn't: it wanted to move right in again and actually get the real present this time. However, he tried to tell himself to wait. He wanted to hear that Sasuke was willing to do this. He had promised his mother not to force anything upon his brother…

"Aniki…" Two hands dug themselves into his shirt, trying to force him to lean down again. Sasuke's face was flushed with excitement – if he were any older, he might have considered it arousal. "Why did you stop?"

"Because…" Itachi paused for a second before continuing: "I did say it was just a hint, otouto. A mere hint." _'Even though I suppose it was almost more than just a hint…'_

Sasuke frowned slightly in disappointment. Then, suddenly, he smiled. And it wasn't his usual sunny smile, but an inviting one instead. "Give me another hint. I don't think I got it just yet."

Itachi stared at him, amazed. That was something he would have expected a colleague of his age to say, but not his innocent little brother. Unless he wasn't as innocent as he was.

"Come on, Itachi! If you think the time with me is so important, tell me how I can do everything right so you can enjoy it! I'd do anything!" Sasuke begged, his grip tightening.

"Anything, hmm?" Itachi murmured. Sasuke nodded anxiously. In turn, Itachi gave in to his brother's tugging and bowed his head again until their noses touched. "There's only one advice I can give to you, Sasuke."

"Tell me, nii-san…"

Instead of answering immediately, Itachi slowly and tenderly rubbed his nose against Sasuke's, giving him a sweet Eskimo kiss. Then he whispered softly: "You were doing just fine before, otouto. You already are doing everything right."

Sasuke's eyes lit up – he was doing everything right! And from the get-go, too! His father would never know this, but then and there, it didn't matter to the boy. The praise had come from Itachi, his beloved older brother, and any praise from him meant just as much, if not even more, to him than the same from their father.

Itachi gave Sasuke a peck on the lips before speaking once more: "Sasuke, there is but one more thing that I want to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Tell me if you're not comfortable anymore. I swore not to do things you don't want to do, and I don't want you to push your desires and feelings aside just because you wish to please me."

"But I'd do anything…" Sasuke protested.

"Yes, but it might be that although you say that now, you'll get into a situation in which you'd retract that statement. And if you don't tell me that, I might hurt you, and that is the last thing I want to do. I want to take care of you, to protect you, so I want you to tell me if something's not right anymore. You can do that, can't you, Sasuke?"

Seeing the sense in the elder's words, Sasuke nodded. "Yes, aniki. I promise."

Satisfied with that answer, Itachi kissed him fleetingly again. "I love you, otouto. I can't find the words to tell you exactly how much I love you…"

"That's okay, nii-san. I love you very much too," Sasuke replied, and no sooner had he silenced when they kissed again. He dearly hoped that Itachi wouldn't make this one so short as well. But he needn't have worried about that, as he found out soon enough.

For quite a long time, their lips never seemed to leave each other as the two Uchihas only granted themselves minimal pauses to breathe. With every new kiss, more passion surfaced while emotions went into overdrive. Itachi's hands wandered away from Sasuke's face, finding their way from the collar to the bottom of the shirt. He reached underneath it, reestablishing skin contact. As he let his fingers glide over the younger one's milky skin, exploring it, testing its sensitivity, fondling it sensually, he felt Sasuke's body move upwards, as if yearning to intensify the electrifying touch. A moan escaped the boy's lips – and it sounded nothing like a moan of protest, much to Itachi's delight.

"Sasuke…" he breathed as he interrupted their passionate kissing, "remember when we were almost just like this after chichi taught me a lesson and I came back?"

"Yeah…" Sasuke answered breathlessly.

"And remember how I suddenly told you to stop?"

"Mmh-hmm…"

Itachi sat up straight again and hastily stripped off his shirt. Blinking, Sasuke stared up at him, squinting to get a good look since Itachi only partially obscured the sun. The prodigy held still for a few moments, indulging himself in the admiring stare he was being given, then swiftly pulled out his hands from beneath Sasuke's shirt and grabbed him by the waist. Sasuke could barely twitch with surprise before Itachi rolled onto his back, switching their positions. The next second, Sasuke found himself lying only partially on Itachi. But then he noticed something else, something that made his heart race: the sheer handsomeness of his brother as he lay there in the grass, shirtless, and the way that what could still be seen of his ponytail spread across the ground. And most importantly, the look in his eyes. It was the same look he had seen him give Misaki a few months ago, the look that had caused him to wonder if he was inferior to the girl. But now Itachi was looking at **him** like that too. Sasuke released a breath he didn't know he had been holding, which reminded him that he still needed to breathe; but who could blame him for temporarily forgetting that when he was absolutely spellbound by the sight in front of him?

Itachi reached out and gently stroked Sasuke's cheek. "I won't tell you to stop this time. Now, won't you give your aniki another kiss?" he asked in a slightly husky voice.

"Of course, nii-san," Sasuke answered eagerly and – like he had done once before – he inched forward until he was finally kissing his brother again. Itachi's hands helped him along, and as he shifted restlessly to find the most comfortable, perfect position, Sasuke marveled at the sounds the elder was making. It was just like when they had woken up together on that one particular morning, and the last clear thought that Sasuke got was him wondering exactly what Itachi had been dreaming about. He wondered if he had been dreaming about something as pleasurable as what they were experiencing in the present…

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Later, the two Uchihas lay in the grass, enjoying the feeling of utter bliss. Sasuke was snuggled up against Itachi, resting his head on his shoulder. Very faintly, he could hear Itachi's regular breathing, sometimes sounding almost like a purr; a sure sign that he was content. His brother had put an arm around him, holding him close yet tenderly. Occasionally, he would make a lazy attempt to sort out the youngster's messed-up hair with the tip of his nose, even though his own hair was more in need of that; he himself looked very disheveled indeed, as if he had had a very restless sleep and hadn't yet gotten around to brush his hair. But he couldn't and didn't want to care about that just then, for the warmth he felt all over was simply overwhelming. He could hardly comprehend exactly how happy he was.

"Ne, Sasuke?" he whispered.

"What, Itachi?" a dreamy-sounding murmur replied.

"I believe it is safe to say that this is the best birthday I have ever had. And it's all thanks to you… so I want to thank you. I'll never forget this," Itachi said, lightly squeezing his sibling as he voiced his gratitude.

"I'm glad I could please you, aniki," Sasuke mumbled, clinging to him.

"You did more than just that. You do so much more, even when you're not really doing anything."

"Huh? How can I be doing so much if I'm not doing anything?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"That's just the way you feel when you're in love with someone," Itachi told him, affectionately tousling the other's hair.

Sasuke fidgeted so he could look up at Itachi again. He was smiling genuinely. "I love you too, nii-san."

Itachi chuckled. "I know you do. And I love you too, though I am also **in love** with you."

Sasuke blinked. "…What's the difference?"

"You can simply love many things and people. Or you can say that you love somebody because they did something for you. But you wouldn't say that you're in love with them. Being in love with someone means that that particular person is extremely special for you… You'd be willing to do anything just to spend as much time as possible with that person; even if it's just staying awake a while longer to watch them sleep."

A look of thoughtfulness had come up in Sasuke's eyes as he listened to his brother's attempted explanation. Itachi noticed this and wasn't too surprised at the brooding silence that fell between them when he had finished speaking. He closed his eyes, patiently waiting for an eventual response and listening to the soft rustling of leaves in a breeze while he did so. Finally, Sasuke spoke up:

"**You** are very special to me, aniki… and you do mean the world to me. Does that mean I'm… um… in love with you?" He lowered his voice somewhat as he uttered that question, as if barely daring to ask. The dainty blush on his cheeks greatly intrigued Itachi, who took it as yet another one of the countless confirmations that his little brother was adorable on the inside **and** on the outside. Flat-out adorable.

"You could be, otouto. But don't feel discouraged if you cannot come up with a definitive answer to that question yet – you're still so young."

"I still wish I could give you an answer right now," Sasuke muttered wistfully.

"Don't feel pressured, Sasuke. Trust me; knowing that I mean the world to you is more than just satisfying," Itachi comforted him.

With a relieved sigh, Sasuke nuzzled his neck and clutched his arm possessively. Itachi hugged him lovingly in return and was already looking forward to enjoying some treats together. Some really edible treats. He wished this could last for more than just three or four hours, but life wasn't that fair. It had its own plans, and no one could interfere with them. But at least he could commit this afternoon to his memory: an afternoon full of sun, warmth and love. One more escapade to paradise.

_But even for that haven, time ran out. Soon there was trouble in paradise. The dark clouds were closer than ever, and the first drops of the storm fell during the mission to the Land of Waves._

_

* * *

_So, how was it? Any good? I'd really appreciate feedback, as usual! The song that really helped me write this was definitely "Keine war so wie du" by Udo Jürgens. Ah, one of the best songs ever... _(sigh)_

I wish you all a Happy Easter with lots of chocolate and/or presents! God knows I'll be enjoying this five-day weekend... perfectly fitting after therapy! _(is excited)_

With warmest wishes to all of you,

_~dd_

P.S: The next chapter will take place after a timeskip. It will be the year in which Itachi turns 13 - and we all know what happened **then**, ne?


	17. Farewell

Okay, folks, now it is official: my parents think that I'm "wasting my talent". -.-; Geez; they just can't understand that I have no problem whatsoever with not earning any money from this. All I want and need is some feedback, especially from my favorite peeps... It really annoyed me that they said that. But hey, it's **my** life, isn't it? And my alter ego said it's okay, so take **that**, Mom and Dad! XP (Oh, and don't worry: I'm not a schizo, it's just part of my therapy! ^^)

Wow, I can't believe I wrote this in just a week! Reminds me of the good ol' days when I could update on a weekly basis... The question is if it's any good. Me... I think I'm 75 percent satisfied (I suppose Itachi would never react like I made him did, but hey, it's fiction...). But let's see what you think. I hope it's good - and worthy. It is just the way I imagine Shisui's death, and I do hope it's acceptable, because he rocks my socks (and that's something I can't say about any other character who has never been shown)!

To be honest, I cried a lot while I wrote this. I kept locking my door so Mom wouldn't walk in on me bawling. I did tell her that I was having a hard time killing off a character I really like, and she most probably thought that I'm being really weird. But just because I think it's sad doesn't mean that you will agree with me, and I am aware of that. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope that you like it! Bombs away!

* * *

Itachi knew that they should have kept on walking. He didn't believe in fortune telling anyway, but unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Misaki. The very moment she saw the stand right next to a bridge, she did her best to convince her comrades to hang on for a moment until her fortune was told. It was even more unfortunate when Kiyoshi agreed pretty quickly, leaving Itachi outvoted.

All the while, he stayed in the background, remaining absolutely silent as the elderly woman grabbed Misaki's hand, traced the lines on it with one long, bony finger and muttered her prediction. With even the slightest movement of her head, the lights of her stand made shadows dance around the lines on her face. Eyes that were slowly clouding over with impending blindness followed her finger's every movement. Misaki's shoulders shook when she giggled, and at times she was leaning in expectantly in order to not miss a single word of what she was being told. And it didn't end there: Kiyoshi underwent the same treatment, and Itachi rolled his eyes at the thought of what nonsense they might be getting told. And by the looks of it, both of them were buying it. Literally. He already wondered what this was going to cost them.

"Can we get going already?" he drawled when the whole ordeal seemed to be finally over with and Misaki and Kiyoshi were discussing their predictions in hushed voices.

"Geez, Itachi, stop being a spoilsport. It's just a bit of fun," Kiyoshi told him with a careless shrug.

Itachi raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, only wanting to turn around so they could be on their way again. But it wasn't over yet.

"…You," the woman said in a slightly raspy voice, looking at Itachi as if only just having noticed that he was there. Her eyes bore the expression of a predator that had just fixated its next prey and wouldn't allow it to get away, not under any circumstances.

He didn't like the way she looked at him. That piercing stare… the feeling like she could see beyond the mask he had taken to wear around others as a result of his training with Madara. The feeling that she… knew, somehow. Even though it was impossible. He didn't believe in fortune telling, no…

"Come on, Itachi. No one says you **need** to believe her. Just see what she has to say," Misaki said in a hushed voice. Even though the stare wasn't directed at her, it made her uneasy. Kiyoshi wasn't doing any better. He who had claimed that it was "just a bit of fun" probably wasn't so sure about that anymore. Not upon seeing a complete stranger, a seemingly harmless older lady, regard Itachi in such a fashion.

"She's right, Itachi. Just… go on. Maybe then she'll stop looking at you like that," he mumbled, nudging the Uchiha prodigy.

"No. I told you this was a bad idea," Itachi retorted. He couldn't shake the feeling he had gotten before, that letting this woman touch him would be a mistake.

Just then, the woman briefly turned her gaze on Misaki, who jumped, almost shrinking behind Itachi. The stare was so demanding… she believed to hear the lady's voice in her head, asking for Itachi. Creeped out by it all, the kunoichi gave Itachi a little push, bringing him within reaching distance of the fortune teller, who – before Itachi could turn his head to demand why Misaki had done that – grabbed his wrist, turned his hand palm-up and began to trace the lines on it. Taken aback by the feeling of her fingertip on his skin, Itachi stared at her for a second or two, aghast. He was about to yank his hand out of her grasp when she muttered darkly:

"You… Your horizon is shrouded in darkness. Dark clouds of misfortune are almost upon you, and you are haunted by their presence."

Itachi stiffened. How did she know that? Simply by tracing the lines on his palm? Unless she was a **real** fortune teller, but only superstitious people believed in their predictions…

Oblivious to the thoughts running through her customer's head and the look she was being given, the woman continued to thoroughly examine the lines. She narrowed her eyes.

"You have touched innocence… and you yearn to touch it again, no?"

"Keep it down if you **must** say everything out loud," an irritated Itachi muttered, noticing the curious looks of his teammates. The way they cocked their hands behind their ears was a dead giveaway too.

The fortune teller paid no attention to that request. "You must do the right thing if that is what you desire. The moment of truth is drawing near."

Itachi tried to pull his hand away. He had heard enough, and he didn't want the others to hear anything more – Misaki was already fretting about him enough these days. He didn't want the world to know about his future. Madara would never forgive him if the whole scheme leaked out now. But the fortune teller had a vise-like grip that Itachi wouldn't have guessed to be possible, considering her age.

"I see many broken bonds in your future. Wounds that will never heal. Promises that are broken. Loss, pain and tears. And most importantly… death," the woman finished in a foreboding whisper.

A faint gasp could be heard from behind him. Without even turning around, Itachi could picture the utterly horrified expression on Misaki's face while Kiyoshi's reaction was similar, though not quite so dramatic.

_It was all true. _

"Enough of this nonsense!"

_So true._

Itachi glared at her as he wrenched his hand out of her grasp. Swiftly, he turned around and marched off.

_She knew it all. She __**had**__ to know, for there was no other explanation as to how she had so accurately described his future._

"Itachi, wait!" Hurried footsteps followed him.

The woman watched the ninjas go, her hand resting lightly on the money she had gotten from Kiyoshi before he had gone to catch up. Her eyes stared at the retreating back of a teenager who would soon go down in history, portrayed as a monstrous villain.

"Watch your steps, child. Consider your intentions twice, or else they might be your downfall…"

_Broken bonds. Broken promises. And broken hearts, without a doubt. His own might even be one of them. And death. Death he would bring to others with his own hands, death to cruelly haunt his thoughts, reminding him of a shattered past until the day he would close his eyes forever too. _

In the cool air of the early night, Itachi shuddered.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The fuse of the bomb burned down dangerously low when Itachi and his team returned from the Land of Waves. On his way to the training with Itachi, Madara noticed that he was already late. This was rather unusual for him, but these days, what wasn't? Itachi had silenced remarkably ever since returning from the most recent mission and did seem to be taking his teachings very seriously. Not that Madara was unhappy about this, but considering the ever-present, though not always equally obvious struggle that Itachi had put up so far, one had to be somewhat skeptical about this sudden change in attitude.

And now he had overslept. It was nine in the morning, but still, Madara was quite a punctual person. Well, Itachi wasn't one to complain if he would be late; yet Madara guessed that he would already be training by the time he got there. What he didn't guess was that he might get distracted along the way and get there even later.

He had just rounded a corner when he spotted two teenagers sitting on a wall some ways ahead. A brunette kunoichi and a shinobi whose dark hair was even longer than Itachi's. Madara stopped, recognizing them as Misaki and Shisui. The girl was clearly very worried while Shisui was trying to comfort her. Suppressing his chakra as a safety measure, Madara disappeared from sight again, and silent as a shadow, he crept up on them from behind, listening in on their conversation.

"…I don't know what to do, Shisui! Something's wrong, I can feel it – but he doesn't want to talk about it! And you should have heard her… what she said… it was horrible!" Misaki was saying.

"What who said, Misaki?" Shisui asked.

The girl balled her hands to fists in her lap. They were trembling just a bit. "The fortune teller in the Land of Waves. She did me and Kiyoshi first, but then she did Itachi as well. He didn't really want to, but she gave us this look… I don't know if it would have been wise to just walk away." She shivered as she remembered the penetrating stare of two graying eyes.

"Did she go all spooky and hocus-pocus on you?" Shisui tried to joke. He couldn't recall to have ever seen Misaki this worried.

"Shisui, I'm serious! You should have been there! If you had heard her, the way she said it, you'd know what I'm talking about!" she protested, not amused.

"I didn't mean to ridicule you, I honestly didn't. I've just never seen you like this, and I don't like it at all," Shisui explained, raising his hands in defense.

Misaki bowed her head, looking abashed. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Shisui reached out and gave her hands a soothing pat. "Don't worry, I'm not angry with you."

She sighed. For a moment, they were silent, and although Madara quickly became impatient, he held his tongue and stayed where he was. He needed to hear the rest of this. He had to know if Itachi screwed up. Finally, Shisui spoke again:

"If you don't mind me asking… what did she say that was so awful?"

"She predicted all these horrible things: approaching darkness, broken bonds, pain… and death. That was the worst part. She said it so firmly, and she was looking at him so intently…" Misaki shook her head. "I'm worried about him."

"Look, death is part of everyone's lives. And I can tell what you're afraid of, but I don't think she was talking about Itachi's death. He's a tough cookie and can't be taken out so easily."

"…Shisui?"

"Yeah?"

"I know you're right, but could you talk to him anyway? He really didn't seem to take it very well, and you're his best friend. Please…!" Misaki begged.

"Easy there, Misaki," Shisui said softly and put a hand on her shoulder. She silenced, looking at him expectantly with eyes that shone due to her anticipation. The Uchiha continued: "I'll see what I can do. I'll try to talk to him, but I cannot and will not force him. But I will give it my best shot, okay?"

She smiled weakly and nodded. No words were needed to express how grateful she was for his support.

"Much better," Shisui remarked, glad for this change of facial expressions.

"I hope I didn't keep you for too long; you know, since you've got important places to be," she said.

"Hey, it's absolutely not a problem. I don't need to be there at a specific time…" He paused. "Still, perhaps I should get going, just in case. You hold your head up, now, and let me handle Itachi. Everything will be fine, I promise."

"Thanks. See you around, Shisui."

"Will do."

And with those words, he stood up and headed back to the Uchiha district. Misaki waved after him, and in response, he briefly showed her his distinctive, cheerful grin along with a two-finger salute. Unbeknownst to him, he was being followed; from the moment he left Misaki all the way to his scheduled meeting with Takeshi. The stealthy shadow stuck around until it had heard enough, and as it left the scene as quietly as it had come, an evil cackle filled a certain someone's mind, dwindling into malicious, marginally hysterical laughter.

They had been set up. Maybe Itachi had known, or maybe he hadn't. But that didn't matter anymore. A dangerous bout of rage subsided till only glowing coals of fury remained, which were kept at bay by a burst of glee. Finally, he had found a reason to give Itachi the final push. A **perfect** reason, even!

As for Misaki, she never did see Shisui again. But she – like everyone else – didn't know that until it was too late.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Tonight."

Itachi slowly lowered the katana. He knew that whatever would be coming next, it wasn't something he wanted to hear. When Madara sounded so commanding, it typically meant nothing good.

"Tonight?" he repeated. His mask was perfectly in place. Madara was pleased when he didn't see any wariness or likewise. To him, that spelled success. Caught up in his gloating, he saw the perfect pawn in Itachi, the way to execute his plan flawlessly – in all aspects. He was sure of that.

"You must kill Shisui tonight."

Definitely nothing good. At least he knew Madara **that** well. "And you waited so long to tell me this?" he asked.

"Itachi, it's time to finally get this over with. You may have made quite a bit of progress now, but you're still missing the Mangekyou Sharingan. And besides, Shisui would have to be eliminated even if it weren't so. He cannot be trusted, for you know what I just found out? He has been spying on you."

For a split second, the mask slipped enough for a wisp of ruefulness to appear in Itachi's eyes. Shisui… a spy. In big schemes like this one, spies were practically a necessity, and since he was all too well aware of the growing distance between him, his father and the clan in general, Itachi knew that being spied on was something he couldn't rule out. But his cousin, his best friend as the spy? That was… playing dirty, as childish as it sounded. However, he himself might not have chosen anyone else, for Shisui **was** one of the very few people who were close to him.

"Well?!" Madara demanded impatiently. He was waiting for a comment from Itachi, preferably one stating that his friend would pay dearly. Instead, there was only profound silence. And even when Itachi finally did give a reply, it wasn't what he would have guessed to hear.

"I can't kill him tonight, Madara-san."

"What?! Why the hell not?" the man in question spluttered.

As if he had all the time in the world to spare, Itachi sat down and began to briefly polish his katana before he would put it away. It was like a new routine.

"Correct me if I'm mistaken, but it seems as if your anticipation has meddled with your memory somewhat. Or have you forgotten that we must report to the Hokage tonight?"

At first, Madara looked furious, but then he realized that Itachi was speaking the truth. He showed no signs of being flustered, however.

"Oh… indeed, that's true." He sat down too, crossed his arms and watched Itachi idly clean the spotless blade. "Still, that changes little about the plan. You must dispose of him as quickly as possible."

Itachi's right hand stopped moving for a moment while the younger Uchiha focused on suppressing a strong pang of anger.

"Do not speak of my cousin as if he is a piece of garbage," he said with a sharp note in his otherwise steady voice.

"But he's a spy. His job is to set you up. And judging by what I heard before, the water you're standing in has just risen some more."

Itachi shot him an ever so mildly disapproving look. Madara huffed like a child that was being reprimanded for having done something ridiculous to get its parents' attention.

"And all because of a goddamn fortune teller…"

"I don't believe in fortune telling, so you can be assured that it wasn't my idea," Itachi retorted.

"Well, that one seemed to have been pretty darn good. And to our misfortune, **someone** had to take it seriously…!"

"I didn't expect her to react any differently."

"That girl's more trouble than she's worth."

"Leave her out of this, Madara. She only reacted like she usually does in such situations. And besides, you kissed her, didn't you? You even said it's a shame she's not an Uchiha."

Madara snorted, and not for the first time, Itachi seriously questioned that there had been any real attraction involved in that incident. It didn't help that Madara was a selfish, heartless bastard too…

"First things first, I suppose. You concentrate on eliminating Shisui. And by God, don't screw it up. Make it look like an accident – or better yet, suicide; the very last things we need are people literally breathing down our necks. Furthermore, I do insist that you know better than to do anything else than what you were told. If you don't kill him, I will find out, Itachi. And I won't be happy."

"You already stress that part plentifully. I think I got the message," Itachi remarked sarcastically.

Madara narrowed his eyes which quickly flared red with the Sharingan (Itachi steeled himself to look away at the slightest hint that it would become the Mangekyou – he didn't need to have certain memories refreshed). "Fine, then. Kill him tomorrow, and live up to what you said."

Itachi nodded stiffly before proceeding to meditate for a while. He closed his eyes, and Madara's face vanished from view along with the rest of the world. One more day of last respite for his cousin, best friend and almost-brother. One day till the hardest kill of his life so far. He would make as much use of that time as he could, but on the other hand, he knew that all the meditation in the world couldn't make this any easier for him…

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Shisui skimmed a stone across the water, watching the surface with a somewhat absent look. The stone crossed nearly half of the river, creating sparkling little splashes and glistening ripples where it touched the surface, but although it was a beautiful sight, it failed to attract Shisui's attention. High above, in the nightly sky, a nearly full moon bathed the village in its pale light.

At that very moment, the meeting was probably already in progress. His father had mentioned that it was highly important – and one had better believe that, considering that **all** clan members were invited.

He did all his workings for the clan with an exemplary sense of dutifulness and responsibility, and while that certainly included attending important gatherings, in this particular night, he wasn't meeting those obligations, but his very own personal ones instead. And for almost ten years now, the matter of keeping an eye on Itachi (just in case) was one of them. Shisui was one of those special people who would do everything imaginable for their loved ones.

Giving up on the stones for now, Shisui simply gazed at the water. The Nakano River moved along quite lazily. Like the shadows of a canopy on the ground, the water's surface gleamed in the moonlight. In summer, Shisui enjoyed spending his free time at the riverbank, listening to the calming sound of the flowing water. And when he felt like it, he would go for a swim, sometimes with Itachi.

Speaking of whom… he heard that very faint sound of feet walking across the grass. Just two steps as someone stopped. But he didn't need to hear more.

"You know, I was beginning to wonder when you'd come," he said.

"I got held up. Chichi did his very best to persuade me to attend the meeting anyhow," a voice answered.

"Why **aren't** you attending it? Forgive me if I'm drawing conclusions too rashly, but I almost can't believe that you forfeited that just because you want to talk to me." As he spoke, Shisui slowly turned around and spotted Itachi, who was wearing his complete ANBU uniform – except for the mask.

"There's nothing to forgive – you're right, that's not the only reason. But my mission starts tomorrow, and I wanted to talk with you before I left. Unfortunately, our schedules didn't allow this to happen sooner," Itachi replied. He was standing at Shisui's right.

"Oh well, at least it came to be. Come on, why don't you sit down as well, and then we'll talk?"

"No thanks, I'm fine."

Shisui knitted his brow. "You sure?"

"Yes."

The older teen said nothing as he just stared at Itachi for a moment, as if searching for some sign that the other didn't mean what he had said, just so he could repeat his offer. But he saw nothing of the sort in that handsome yet expressionless face. He thought it was a shame that Itachi had become like this. Sure, a load of work could get pretty tough, but he wished that Itachi would laugh again. For real. Recently, his smiles – he didn't laugh anymore – seemed so stiff, so strained… it always managed to sadden Shisui anew.

Now Itachi did it again: making the corners of his mouth turn upwards, though barely moving any more than that. His eyes didn't play along. With a heavy sigh, Shisui let himself fall onto his back.

"Are you really sure? You should slow down a bit, if only for a while. Something's happened to you, I can tell that. What has become of your smile, Itachi? I know you can do better. If there's anything you want to talk about, just fire away."

"You are so good to me, Shisui."

"Hey, I can't leave you hanging, now, can I? It's my job to look out for you, after all. So just let it all out – I won't ask any questions until you're finished." Having said that, Shisui closed his eyes and folded his hands on his chest. He wanted to make this as easy as possible for Itachi, and he figured that perhaps the latter felt more comfortable if he wasn't being watched.

"About it being your job to look out for me…"

There was a short pause.

"…If only it weren't so."

And then came the pain. Terrible pain. The feeling of something getting rammed into his stomach with brute force. His stomach getting penetrated, torn apart. Shisui's black eyes flew open, bulging with shock from the sudden impact, the cruel disruption of peace. He felt a scream rising in his throat, and his mouth opened, but his cry only sounded out shrilly for a second before dissolving into a gurgling, a choking, and warmth poured from his mouth, part of it cascading down his chin before it got soaked up by his shirt. Blood. His blood. He felt more warmth at his stomach, where the shirt quickly clung to his skin as it got drenched in maroon blood. His hands moved on their own accord and gripped cold steel.

Drawing a shuddering breath, Shisui fitfully hauled himself up as far as he could. A katana had been plunged into his stomach, and its wielder was Itachi. The younger Uchiha's eyes were red with the Sharingan and full of an expression that Shisui had never seen in them before. One glimpse of that look was all it took to make him realize that this was the end of the road for him. He wouldn't get out of this alive.

The katana moved, slicing through skin and muscles, slowly shredding the stomach region. Shisui closed his eyes tightly, wishing he could scream, but all he managed was an agonized moan. More blood gushed out of his stomach and his mouth. Summoning all his strength – though it was already leaving him rapidly – he tried to pull the blade out of his body before it destroyed him any more. But it was no use. With every new second that passed by, he lost more strength and more blood while Itachi lost none of both. But during his struggle, Shisui didn't see his cousin close his eyes too, gritting his teeth and biting back a wince when he heard the pitiful moan from below. Itachi had devoted his entire focus to the moment in which he had struck, knowing that that would be the hardest step for him to take. Moving the blade even after it had pierced his friend's flesh was part of following the plan to make this murder look like suicide. But hearing the other suffer was quickly and effectively tearing at the walls he had built under Madara's watchful eyes. His heart was hammering, and it hurt so much… it was as excruciating as when he had seen all the fallen shinobi after the war, standing amidst the bodies, surrounded by death and grief. And yet… and yet it had to be worse. Shisui wasn't even dead yet. This was only the beginning of his own suffering.

Itachi yanked the katana out of the body beneath him and stumbled backwards a few steps. Another groan from Shisui which – like the attempted scream before – dwindled to a gurgling first before turning into a hacking cough, an attempt to clear his throat, made Itachi nearly drop the weapon. But in the very last moment, he forced himself to hold onto it. He watched a few drops of thick blood fall from the tip of the blade, splotching the grass below. Richly green blades of grass bent under the impact of the red droplets before bouncing back into place. A shiver passed through Itachi's entire body, then he slowly sheathed the katana again. His walls crumbled even further as he looked back at his maimed cousin.

Shisui's hands were covering the deep, long cut in his abdomen. Blood still poured freely from the wound, dousing his hands, slowly but steadily creating a puddle beneath him. He was shivering all over. Itachi saw that he wanted to scream, but was resisting it. His face had contorted into a grimace of pain with tightly closed eyes. Contrarily to how he had been lying outstretched on that same spot just minutes ago, he had convulsed with pain. The realization that that terrible sight, all that agony… it was his handiwork, and only one of them would live to see the next morning. For the very first time, Itachi truly felt heart-broken. Although he had arranged this encounter with the pretense that he needed to merely talk to Shisui while actually aiming to kill him, a strong urge to have that talk anyhow arose in him. He needed to say he was sorry. And kami knew he meant it – he had never been remotely fond of the idea of killing him. Not even after finding out that Shisui was a spy, despite Madara's pointed provocations. All he could hope for was that Shisui would listen to him… but if he wouldn't get this wish granted, he supposed he couldn't blame anybody. Who ever heard of a victim lending an ear to a rueful murderer?

Feeling more and more as if he were slipping into a trance-like state, Itachi walked over to Shisui. His presence didn't get acknowledged, even as he dropped to his knees next to the bleeding figure. He knew the other wasn't dead yet; the hands were still tightly gripping the fabric around the wound, shielding the hideous sight from the world.

"…Shisui?" Itachi whispered. He barely heard himself talk.

At first, nothing happened, but then Shisui shifted, trying to look up at Itachi. His eyes seemed even darker than usual, only half-open as they met his own.

"Itachi…"

"Shisui, I know that I have no right to ask this of you, but… please listen to me, just for a little while. I wish I could let you know how sorry I am, but this couldn't be avoided, although I really wish it could have. You must hate me right now, hmm?"

His cousin blinked as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Hate you?" he murmured. Then he let his head fall back so half his face was touching the cool grass again. He was getting weaker. His eyes were closed, and a smile played on his lips. "I could never hate you. I love you, Itachi. I always will."

"No!" Itachi protested. He wished Shisui had said anything but that. "No! Look at me! Look at what I did to you! How can you possibly still love me?! Hate me instead!"

"I can't. After all I've promised you, after all I've done for you… hating you wouldn't be justified. I'm sure you have your reasons for doing what you did. After all, I did betray you in a way. I've been spying on you for a while now," Shisui admitted, and Itachi got the impression that he wasn't opening his eyes on purpose.

"Which is why I needed to do this. That's why I said I wish it weren't your job to look out for me."

"…Ah, there seems to be a misunderstanding," Shisui laughed quietly. "You see, I was talking about looking out for you as a cousin, like I promised to. That's also why I wasn't always honest to Takeshi and bought you more time whenever I could."

Hearing that made Itachi sick to his stomach. Until the very end, Shisui had put him above his orders – and he spoke of betrayal? That was peanuts compared to his own doings! "But that's nothing compared to **my** betrayal! I mean, you stuck up for me, and I… I kill you in return…!"

"I know. But you know… although it hurts like the dickens, I know you're sorry. I hear it in your voice…" He trailed off, focusing on breathing while he still could.

"And you'd probably know it if you looked at me too," he heard Itachi say. And then he felt how he was carefully being picked up, held in two arms, gently being pressed against a body. He felt it move with another deep breath, but this time it didn't sound as calm and steady as one was used to hear from Itachi. It sounded… it sounded as if Itachi was fighting against something. Tears. And when his breathing sounded like that (because it hardly ever did at all), the chances were fairly high that he would end up losing that fight.

As that thought crossed his mind, Shisui finally opened his eyes again. His vision was slowly beginning to become blurry, yet it wasn't that bad that he couldn't make out the sad expression in Itachi's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Shisui. I really am."

"I know you are."

"…What ever did I do to deserve having you in my life?" Itachi wondered, holding Shisui closer to him. He didn't care that his friend's blood was trickling onto his uniform, then onto his pants.

"You don't need to do things to deserve having certain people in your life, Itachi. That goes for you too," Shisui told him.

"But **you**, Shisui… how many can… can kill their best friend, only to see him smile and speak of love instead of hate?"

"Well, one could say it's partially because of something I believe in… something I learned from my mother." Shisui paused to breathe deeply again and closed his eyes once more. It was becoming harder and harder to keep them open. "You know, she and my grandma fought a lot. But when my grandma's time was about to come, my mother tried to sort everything out. She didn't manage to make peace with her, however, and it still bothers her. So she told me…" Shisui paused to clear his throat again, coughing up more blood as he did so and wincing at a new stab of pain in his punctured stomach. Itachi kept on holding him, gently wiping away some of the fresh blood with the back of his hand. Finally, Shisui continued, bearing more and more resemblance to a rag doll as he rested in Itachi's arms: "She told me that you shouldn't go apart in anger or hatred, for you never know if by the time you want to set things right, that person might be gone, maybe even forever." Sighing, Shisui put his bloody hand on Itachi's and gave it a soft squeeze. Almost dreamily, he stared into space. "That's why I refuse to hate you. I couldn't bear it if our ways parted like that. I love you, Itachi, and saying that makes this whole ordeal… a tiny bit easier for me." A teardrop landed on his face, running down his cheek like a tear of his own. Blinking, Shisui focused on the present again and saw Itachi crying. He was staring at him, eyes wide open with tears pouring from them.

"I… I'll miss you, Shisui. I'll miss you so much…" Itachi whispered hoarsely.

"I'll miss you too. But don't think that I'll be gone forever; I'll still be watching over you, even if you cannot see or touch me anymore," Shisui tried to comfort him, and with a lot of effort in his weakened state, he tried to wipe away his cousin's tears. His blood mingled with them, making it look vaguely as if Itachi were crying blood.

As if that touch had sent him tumbling over the edge, Itachi gave in to his sorrow and wept on Shisui's shoulder as he held him closer than ever. His tears got lost in the other's long black hair, soaking into it long before they could pearl off and fall to the ground. His whole body shook as he sobbed; to him, Shisui would be gone forever, and right now, forever seemed to last unbearably long. And knowing that Shisui would leave a gap within their ranks that was impossible to fill certainly wasn't helping, either.

Touched by this genuine outburst of emotions – for it had been years since he had seen and heard Itachi sob – Shisui raised one hand to grip the younger one's shoulder with as much strength as he could muster at this point in time. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. Slowly, he felt his own eyes become wet, and after the first two or three sobs made Itachi's body shake, he silently began to cry as well. Their fathers wouldn't approve much if they were to witness this, but that really shouldn't matter. When one's best friend was dying, everyone had the right to cry.

The pain was starting to fade, and with that, the last bit of his strength was just about to leave him. He would have to act now, for there were still a few last things he wanted to say.

"Itachi?"

"What…?"

"I'm getting really tired here…"

Itachi jumped, yet not too hastily and still with as much gentleness as he could muster, he drew back until he was holding Shisui in his arms like before. Absolutely nothing was left of the mask he had worn upon coming here; instead, his face was tear-stained, and his eyes weren't red because of the Sharingan.

"No… please don't go just yet…" he pleaded. "I still need to say goodbye…"

"Don't worry," Shisui whispered. "I'm still here… but you gotta listen to me now, Itachi."

"I'm listening…"

Every new word cost him more and more effort, and Shisui really hoped he would still be able to say everything he needed to.

"Tell Natsuko that I love her… and that I'm still with her. As long as she thinks of me… I'll be there."

"But I cannot tell her about… **this**…" Itachi began. He dreaded facing that little girl again. Last time, she had been smiling, but now she would be in tears.

"Then say you saw me in a dream… but don't leave her with nothing. That wouldn't be fair," Shisui advised him.

"I… I understand…"

Breathing was harder than ever. His heart couldn't keep going on much longer. Too much blood had poured out of his veins, never to come back. It was in his clothes, on Itachi's face, on the katana, the grass was drenched with it… it was everywhere except where it should be.

"And about Sasuke…" Shisui paused, smiling as he thought of the boy. A spirited, adorable child who shouldn't need to suffer from his father's contemptuousness. Sasuke was already too often deeming himself inferior and too untalented – before it got worse, he needed to either break away from Fugaku, or someone had to make the man see that he was doing him a great wrong. "You look out for him, you hear? His love for you lies so deep…"

"I know…"

"Someday, somewhere, you two will be able to be happy together. I'm positively sure of that."

"I hope you're right," Itachi said, though having little faith in his words.

"Sasuke said the very same thing. Trust me. Everyone is entitled to get their own share of happiness, and you two just happen to find it in each other. Everything will be alright…"

Itachi sighed sadly. "I wish we could meet again someday."

Weakly, Shisui chuckled. "We will, silly."

"No, how could we? You'll go to heaven, without a doubt… and I will rot in hell." Itachi was absolutely serious. Even if this tragedy was part of a scheme for a good purpose, he felt so horrible for killing someone with such a kind heart that he wished no lesser punishment for himself.

"If you go to hell, I'll have a talk with God. I'd set things straight. But first… I need to rest. I've got nothing left," Shisui muttered.

The tears quickly returned, and his eyes seemed to overflow instantly. Fighting to keep his voice steady, Itachi whispered: "…I'm so sorry…"

Blearily, Shisui regarded him, even though he barely saw anything anymore. His distinctive, understanding smile played on his lips. He didn't answer immediately, for this was the final special moment of his life. He wanted Itachi's face to be the last thing he saw in his earthly life. Once more, he committed everything about his cousin to his memory – looks, voice, scent, personality. He wanted all of that to be refreshed just before moving on, and because of that, he was secretly grateful to die here, in Itachi's arms. And then, after long last, he closed his eyes, and with a faint hum, he leaned against him, waiting for his last breath.

"Hush, Itachi. There's nothing to be sorry about…"

A heavy sigh was all he got in response, then he felt a slender hand running its fingers through his hair. It felt so pleasant… this must be what it was like to lie in bed half-asleep while your lover pampered you with tender caresses. Shisui had had surprisingly little experience with things like that, but if he was completely honest with himself – and he was – this was the best experience of them all.

"Can I say goodbye to you… now?" a breaking voice asked.

He couldn't laugh anymore, like he would have if he were in any better state. So he settled for a wider smile instead, though without opening his eyes anymore. "Why do you even ask?"

"Because I would have respected it if you had wished for me to be silent."

"Go ahead; I'm all ears."

Itachi hesitated for a moment, as if wondering where to start. When he found that he couldn't make up his mind quickly enough, he gave up on pondering much longer and spoke straight from the heart:

"I regret to say that I don't remember anything from before the Third Ninja War… yet my first memory of you is still as clear as if it happened only yesterday. Chichi was frustrated because I wasn't handling the war's effects like I was expected to… but you didn't mind. We were in the backyard, not doing much besides… well, sitting there. You would do anything to cheer me up. One smile from me seemed to be all it took to make your day. And in the night, you were right there when I woke up from a nightmare. You didn't care if you got no more sleep, always putting me above that although you could have chosen differently…"

As Sasuke's brother took a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about everything they had experienced together, his voice was a soft murmur, sometimes barely a whisper when a new wave of sorrow washed over him. Shisui lacked the strength to find out exactly what his facial expression looked like, but he accepted that. All that mattered now was to listen to this spoken lullaby, for that was exactly what it sounded like to him.

Minutes later, somewhere along the eulogy of everything he had taught Itachi, all the times he had been there for him and what a kind, loving heart he had had, Shisui Uchiha drifted off into eternal sleep as his last breath left his lips and his heart stopped beating.

Itachi didn't notice just yet. He stared somewhat absent-mindedly at the dark water of the river right before them.

"I'll never forget you, Shisui. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. But I know for sure that I don't want to forget you. And if we really would meet again, wherever that might be, I certainly will consider it to be a true blessing." He looked down at Shisui wistfully. "If only there were more people like you in the world…"

Looking back later, he would consider it foolish of him to have expected a response, but truth to be told, he had gotten carried away with his reminiscence, not realizing how much time had gone by and what had happened in the meantime. But when he received no acknowledgment from the other in any form, a horrible realization dawned on him.

"Shisui?"

No answer.

"Shisui?"

Still nothing.

"No…" Looking almost desperate, Itachi gently put a hand on Shisui's throat, searching for a pulse. But he felt none. And that was when the wisps of happiness he had felt while thinking back on better times got chased away, getting replaced by sorrow and melancholy that threatened to crush his heart. It had happened without him realizing it; his cousin had died, passed away in his arms.

Itachi fought very hard against the urge to grieve anew now that it was over. He had to do something about the corpse if he didn't want it to be found in this spot. His gaze wandered back to the river, and almost instantly, a decision was made. Standing up – which wasn't all too easy, for he could hardly feel his legs – Itachi dragged Shisui into the water. But he couldn't let go yet. Not quite. For almost another minute or two, he remained at the riverbank, motionless, holding Shisui's torso to keep him afloat for now and watching. Watching as the blood flow from the slashed stomach lessened while the last bit of it created an almost invisible veil of dark red in the water around the body. The slow but steady current had already begun to play with the young man's hair, making the long strands dance in the water like they would on a breezy day. Blood covered all of Shisui's chin and most of his neck too. His hands were red too, but the water was starting to wash off some of it.

He looked so peaceful that if Itachi hadn't witnessed him die and it weren't for all that blood, he might think the older Uchiha was just asleep, lost in a happy dream. Most of the corpses he had seen after the war hadn't been a pretty sight at all: some bodies had been maimed beyond all recognition, and the faces of the others had been twisted into a pained grimace, some with mouths still open in a silent scream. But not Shisui. Even in death, he was still faintly smiling and looked relaxed. Compared to all other corpses Itachi had seen so far, he was positively beautiful.

"Farewell, Shisui… and thank you. …For everything…" the teenage ANBU captain whispered. It was time to let go.

He fitfully refrained from biting his lower lip as he withdrew his hands from the water. No sooner had he let go when Shisui began to drift away, sinking as he went. He wouldn't have gone under forever since he hadn't been weighted down – Itachi knew he mustn't do that in order to make it look like suicide. The missing weapon wasn't a problem, but any weighting down would have been. Itachi watched until the body was almost gone from view before raising his eyes to the heavens.

"Please do not let him miss out on anything up there. He deserves only the very best. Your angel is coming home, Lord… albeit sooner than you expected," he said quietly and bowed his head. The stars overheard just kept on twinkling like always, but Itachi sincerely hoped that someone up there had heard him.

The sorrow was still nagging at his heart, but even so, he wondered about something. He had done what so many Uchihas before him had as well, but few had succeeded in awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan. Now it was time to see if he had succeeded. Itachi closed his eyes and called upon his newly gained ability like Madara had told him to. He felt it. The power. But there was also pain. A burning in his eyes, an unpleasant sensation. So this was what Madara had been talking about, that the Mangekyou Sharingan took a heavy toll on his eyesight… and would eventually make him blind.

Breathing deeply, he unsheathed the katana again. The blood on it had gotten smeared and was now covering half the blade. Itachi stared at it remorsefully for a second before dipping it into the river and carefully helping the water to wash off the blood. Once the weapon was clean again, Itachi lifted it up so he could see his reflection in it. His eyes widened, and he blinked. The three tomoe in each of his eyes had merged, forming what looked like a pinwheel around his pupils. It was a most intriguing sight, and for a while, Itachi found it impossible to resist.

The constant and intensifying burning eventually brought him back to his senses, however, and with a grimace, he closed his eyes and stopped calling upon his kekkei genkai. The burning faded away, leaving nothing but a tingling sensation behind. Slowly, Itachi looked at his reflection again. Two obsidian eyes looked back at him; for now, his eyesight was spared from further damage.

Lowering the blade, Itachi gazed downstream. His cousin may have vanished from sight long since, but his thoughts were with him. He wondered how far he had already gotten on his journey to heaven; or perhaps he was already there. If Shisui really attached that much importance in watching over him, he would probably march right up to God Himself with a sunny smile on his face and ask for "a seat in the front row". Itachi chuckled and smiled wryly. Yes, he could easily picture Shisui doing that. It fit his attitude perfectly.

Thinking so intensely about his cousin made the grief return full-force, and Itachi was far from surprised to feel more tears well up in his eyes. But he did his very best to hold them back as he sheathed the katana again.

"_Be a man!"_ That's what Fugaku would say. He would be disappointed if he knew how much Itachi had cried tonight.

Silently struggling to live up to the advice he had been given repeatedly ever since he was four, Itachi finally turned away from the river and headed for the Hokage's residence. His parents would figure that he had gotten up extra early (at least, Mikoto would; all Fugaku would care about was that his son had failed to show up for the meeting despite his attempts to convince him otherwise), and Sasuke usually woke up quite a bit after him anyway. A few more hours he could call his own, a few more hours in which he could deal with his feelings as good as he could.

By the time the sun rose over Konohagakure, Itachi Uchiha's tears had dried, but his soul still wept for the best friend he had ever had.

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Please review and tell me what you think! And to all that are disappointed: I'm sorry (y'know, since this was a pretty long chapter and all)...

I want to give very special thanks to **SkywardShadow** and **CeruleanCypher** - you guys never fail to make my day, and having you as my friends means so much to me! Lots of cookies and love, my SV comrades! (And a tissue, in case you're in need of one.)

R.I.P., Shisui. Love ya lots! _(sniff)_

See ya when the last chapter will be done! And thanks to everyone who voted - a sequel it is!

Hope everyone had a great Easter, too!

_~devotedtodreams_

P.S: In response to an anonymous question: how is it a suicide if he has a gaping hole in his stomach? Well, I was thinking about how the samurai committed suicide. Ever heard of hara-kiri? They stab themselves in the belly and slash it horizontally... sometimes vertically too, if I'm not mistaken. And technically, there's another guy there who cuts their throats if they don't die soon enough, but I left that part out ;) So yeah... that is how this was supposed to look like suicide.


	18. The final act, the curtain falls

_(takes deep breath) _Well, here it is, the final chapter of this fic! It took quite a while, that I admit... still, as usual, I hope it's kinda worthwhile. Be warned for two reasons: firstly, the part when they visit Natsuko is scrapwork galore (I lost an important piece of paper _(ARGH!!!)_, so I had to re-write quite a few parts -.-), and secondly, it is a long chapter! Sorry about that, but when I was done, I just couldn't find a suitable spot to break it up into two parts. I really didn't think it would turn out to be quite this long... ^^;

And remember: I said it would be AU later on, hence the ending!

I hope you'll enjoy it anyway! I pray that you will...  
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In the evening of the very next day, Itachi lay on his bed, absent-mindedly gazing at the ceiling. He was finally beginning to relax, and even though it was just minimal, it was a start. He deeply detested the way the police had gone about their investigations when they had demanded to talk to him earlier. It was uncommon for them to beat about the bush, and it had made Itachi sick since he knew from the way they looked at him and treated him that he was their prime suspect.

That had made him lose it for a moment as he had attacked them. He had fully meant every word he had spoken. The clan, the clan… it was always the clan. It seemed as if they had no other interests in life besides being oh-so-obedient servants to an ideology based on lust for power. And history showed that too much of that eventually led to one's downfall, but not before bringing misery upon many innocent people. In this particular case, that misery would come with the actual rebellion of the Uchihas, which would most likely result in a civil war, and those always claimed many innocent lives. That had to be stopped, and Itachi knew that although he tried to avoid violence whenever he could, he would do anything to help avoid another war – even if it meant wiping out the entire clan. The Hokage was still trying to negotiate peacefully with Takeshi and the others, but by the looks of how it was going, there wasn't much to hope for.

Needless to say, Itachi's attitude and the speech that went along with it hadn't sat well with Fugaku at all. When he had told him to come inside after talking the police out of arresting him on the spot, that had meant going to the study and enduring yet another lecture about why one shouldn't stray from obligations, **especially **if they had to do with the clan.

Itachi restrained a sigh and thought about the look on Sasuke's face when he had passed him by on the way inside. The boy had looked so bewildered… and almost afraid, certainly because he was so worried that Itachi would get taken away. Although he knew that Fugaku was watching his every move, Itachi had stopped for a second, giving Sasuke's hair the briefest ruffle ever. There simply wasn't time for much more. Sasuke had made a movement like he wanted to latch onto him, but Fugaku had swiftly intervened, barking at Itachi to get a move on. The elder hadn't seen his sibling since: although he outranked his father as a shinobi, he had been advised – read: ordered – to go to his room and straighten out any issues he might have with the future.

The prodigy knitted his brow as he wondered what Sasuke would say to him next, now that he had witnessed his brother being accused of murder.

Just about then, he heard hushed voices outside his door. He turned his head and raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

Then someone knocked.

"Yes?"

The door slid open, and Mikoto entered. Itachi watched her approach him hesitantly, looking as if she wasn't supposed to be here. Before she reached his bed, he noticed a movement at the door. Someone peering around the corner, eyes big and full of insecurity and worry. Itachi's breath nearly hitched, and even though he wasn't exactly feeling great just then, a spark of happiness came up within him when he saw Sasuke. He wanted to invite him to come in as well, but when he was about to do that, Mikoto knelt down right in front of his bed. Itachi stared barely past her shoulder, but Sasuke shrank around the corner and out of sight again. Sighing, he focused on his mother instead.

"How are you, Itachi?" she inquired, taking great care to keep her voice down.

"I'm fine," he answered flatly.

She smiled – but it was a sad smile, the type of which Itachi always thought that it didn't suit her – and gently put her hand on her older son's cheek. Itachi took notice of the rueful expression she wore: the one that often appeared after having pointless and tiring arguments. For her, it had been a very long evening, although the same could most certainly be said for everyone else in the house as well.

"I'm so sorry, dear," she murmured, caressing his cheek.

"It's not your fault, okasan," he told her.

"I wish I could do more for you…"

"You already do plenty."

"But you would tell me if there's something else I could do for you, wouldn't you?" she asked softly.

Itachi tried to smile at her, but he had only just begun to do so when he knew that he would fail. He guessed that at best, he looked as if he were about to be sick. "I would."

She nodded, but continued to look rather miserable. The new developments as of recently were taking its visible toll on her, but unlike Fugaku, it hadn't changed anything about her view on her children. Her equal love for both of them remained unchanged.

"No matter what happens, I will always be here for you. I'll do anything I can to help you," she assured him as her hand left his cheek, gently laying itself on his hand.

"I know. Thank you," he said. He could imagine himself smiling slightly at this point, but whether he really managed that was something else entirely.

"I should go now," she whispered. "Your father is expecting me, and in a while, he will come up to check on you. I thought you should know that."

"Am I mistaken if I assume that you shouldn't be here… with me?" Itachi inquired casually.

She shook her head. "No, you're not. I really shouldn't be here, but I couldn't stand the thought of just coming upstairs without checking on you." She breathed a kiss onto his forehead, then stood up and headed back to the door.

"Okasan?"

"Yes, Itachi?" she asked, turning around once more.

"What are you **really** supposed to be doing?"

She smiled. "Putting Sasuke to bed." Of course, she didn't fail to notice how Itachi perked up at the sound of his brother's name. And as if on cue, Sasuke stepped into view again, still with that same look in his eyes. Mikoto crouched down and told him something that Itachi couldn't understand. Sasuke nodded almost timidly, then received a brief, but very loving embrace from his mother before she rose again and stepped aside. He slipped past her, then the door closed, and the two brothers were plunged into darkness. The curtains were drawn, so not even the moon's light could illuminate the room. A few seconds later, a light was turned on next to the bed, and Sasuke watched the silhouette of his brother move as he sat up.

"Sasuke…"

"Aniki…!" It was almost a whimper instead of the joyous cry that Sasuke usually uttered when they met. He fiddled with his bangs while he looked back at the door, as if fearing that it would burst open any second now and he would get caught by their father. His brother called out to him again, thus regaining his attention. And when he looked back to the bed, he saw Itachi spread his arms just a bit, reaching out for him in a silent invitation.

Recognizing the one offer he never missed out on unless it couldn't be helped, Sasuke swiftly crossed the room, reaching out to fling his arms around Itachi's waist as he went. But the elder didn't let that happen: as soon as Sasuke reached him, he hoisted him up onto the bed, and Sasuke ended up wrapping his arms around Itachi's chest instead, snuggling up to his upper body.

Itachi held him close, smiling genuinely for the first time since Shisui's death. He guessed that Sasuke had no idea how much this meant to him. After all he had seen and heard today… the new side of his brother, the accusation and God-knew-what his father had told him during dinner… after all that, he could have chosen to avoid him, but here he was again – here in his arms, the place he only reluctantly left once he was there. Itachi knew that Sasuke wasn't quite sure about this, but love and concern had driven both him and his mother to secretly disobey Fugaku.

"I'm so glad you came, Sasuke," he muttered, running a hand through the boy's hair.

"I was so worried, nii-san." Sasuke fidgeted and wriggled out of the embrace so he could stare up at his sibling. "I thought they would take you away… and you were so angry…"

Thinking back on that situation chased nearly all the warmth away from Itachi's eyes. "I don't appreciate it at all if people say one thing while their behavior clearly says something else. It's dishonest and sneaky… purely despicable."

Sasuke cringed at the tone of voice his brother used. It had a sharp edge to it that he had heard only once so far: when they had come home after their first kiss, and Fugaku had tried to separate them. Otherwise, Itachi had been indifferent at best, but never so disdainful. He looked away nervously, wondering what he should say next. But before he could decide on something, a hand laid itself comfortingly on his cheek. Slowly, he looked back at Itachi. The look in the other's eyes said it all, yet he spoke aloud all the same:

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I got somewhat carried away and didn't mean to unsettle you."

The younger Uchiha blinked, marveling at this sudden change in attitude and expression. When Itachi looked at him like this, he always found it rather hard to believe that he might ever get angry again, or that he ever had been. All he saw now was his loving older brother… who had been accused of a most horrid crime. Speaking of which…

"Aniki, I don't get it… how could they think that you did such a terrible thing? Why would you kill Shisui? He was your best friend, and best friends don't kill each other… right?" he added almost timidly and looked up in time to see Itachi close his eyes. Even then, Sasuke could sense that he was very troubled – but like his mother, he just thought that he was grieving deeply over the suicide of his best friend. They didn't know that he was still struggling to come to terms with the notion that all accusations were justified, since he really was Shisui's murderer.

"Some people do, Sasuke. I know people who have done exactly that," Itachi pointed out. _'And I am one of them now…'_ With a soft sigh, he lay down, facing the door.

Frowning, Sasuke crawled closer to him, lay down on his stomach and tugged at his sibling's shirt. Itachi opened one eye just a bit. Sasuke offered him the best smile he could manage in his state of worry and concern.

"But **you** wouldn't. I don't believe you'd do that," he told the elder before lightly kissing his cheek, hoping to make him feel better, if only a little bit. He hoped to return the favor that Itachi had done so often for him.

His spirits took flight when both of Itachi's eyes opened again and his brother rewarded him with a soft yet infatuating kiss on the lips. The touch didn't last very long, but it was by far enough to make Sasuke long for more.

"Nii-san…" he breathed when Itachi's lips left his.

"Sasuke, I appreciate all of this very much, but perhaps it is for the best if you'd go now. I would never forgive myself if chichi caught you here just because I have tempted you," Itachi whispered.

"I don't want to leave…" Sasuke whined, but slid off the bed nevertheless.

"I wish it wouldn't have to be this way either, but it is my greatest wish to keep you safe from harm. Go to bed, Sasuke… and sweet dreams," Itachi told him.

Sasuke regarded him wistfully, but trusted what his brother said. "Sweet dreams, aniki," he murmured in response, and before Itachi could stop him from doing so (even if he had wanted to), he leaned forward and fleetingly kissed him on the lips before retreating to the door. There, he stopped to look back once more. Itachi raised one hand in a final goodbye gesture, and Sasuke waved back at him before slipping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Once he was alone again, Itachi's smile ran away from his face fairly quickly as he thought about the firmness in Sasuke's voice when he had claimed to be absolutely sure that the charges against his older brother weren't justified. He trusted him so much… In moments like this, he almost wished that Sasuke wouldn't believe in so much goodwill – it would make it so much harder for him to learn and accept the bitter truth that his idol's hands would forever be stained with the blood of one of his most precious people.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Two days later, Mikoto knocked on the door of Shisui's home.

"Okasan, what should I say? I have no idea… you know… besides «I'm sorry»…" Sasuke said, fidgeting.

She put an arm around him and patted his shoulder. "Honey, don't worry about that too much. It's more important that you're here at all; I'm sure your company will do Natsuko well. That goes for you too, Itachi," she added softly, glancing at her older son.

"Hn," was the only response he gave, his facial expression not changing at all. His eyes only partially gave away how sad he was, otherwise one would have described him to be as inexpressive as a puppet.

Mikoto sighed ruefully and gently made him come closer to her before lightly kissing his forehead just beneath his bangs. Itachi allowed her to do that, but didn't react to it in any way. Sasuke looked up at him worriedly. Ever since he had snuck into the elder's room two days earlier, Itachi had become almost eerily silent – and indifferent, like now. Mikoto had said that he was probably bottling up his sorrow, and by the way her voice had sounded, Sasuke concluded that that wasn't a good thing. And of course he didn't want anything bad to happen to his brother because of that. He reached out, wanting to touch him in the hopes of triggering some sort of reaction – anything was better than simply watching him stare at seemingly nothing at all, as if he were a million miles away from the present.

Just then, the door opened, and they were greeted by Kasumi. She didn't look good at all: dark rings beneath her eyes showed how little she had slept, if she had at all. It cost Itachi a great deal of effort to look into her eyes; they depicted all too clearly how much she suffered from this sudden loss, and he was sure that he wasn't merely imagining to see a spark of confusion as well. Confusion due to why her son had committed suicide so unexpectedly.

A weak smile flitted across her face when she saw the visitors on her doorstep.

"Mikoto… Sasuke-kun…" She sighed. "And even you, Itachi-kun. I'm so glad that you have come…"

"This is the least we can do, Kasumi," Mikoto replied and hugged the other woman. "We're all so sorry…"

"I know…" Kasumi dug her fingers into Mikoto's blouse and grimaced as she struggled not to burst into tears on the spot. Watching her sadly, Sasuke took a step to the side and grabbed the hem of Itachi's shirt with one hand. Instinctively, his sibling put an arm around him.

A moment later, Kasumi drew back, wiped at her eyes and smiled apologetically. "Oh, where are my manners? Please come on in," she invited them.

Mikoto motioned to her sons to go in first, then followed them. An oppressive feeling arose in Itachi as he entered the house – it was weird to be welcomed like this, like he always had been. But he was a murderer… he had no right to be here. It didn't feel right. Yet he needed to tell Natsuko that her brother still loved her, like he had promised Shisui to. The fortune teller may have foreseen broken promises in his future, but this wasn't going to be one of them.

"Obasan, where is Natsuko?" Sasuke asked.

"She's out back. Perhaps we could arrange for you to come inside after a while, and I'll make us all a cup of tea," Kasumi suggested.

Sasuke nodded. "Okay. Come on, aniki!" he prompted Itachi before taking off, hurrying to see his cousin.

"Coming, otouto," Itachi replied, yet he stayed behind a moment longer. "I'm really sorry, Kasumi-san," he said somberly.

Kasumi shook her head, and her lower lip was already quivering as she spread her arms to hug the teenager.

"No formalities, Itachi, no formalities…" she whispered, her voice breaking quickly as she spoke.

A second later, Itachi found himself in a quite awkward situation: she embraced him tightly, and her body shook as she began to sob on his shoulder. This was worse than her welcoming him as always – knowing that he was the very last person on whose shoulder she should be crying her eyes out made Itachi want nothing more than to push her away. He wished he could tell her that he didn't deserve any of this and that he couldn't offer her the solace she needed.

But that wouldn't be fair towards her at all. It would only confuse her to no end, and it would also look very suspicious. As if he had never done this before, Itachi raised a hand and forced himself to pat her back comfortingly while he looked at his mother, praying that she would catch on to his silent distress. Fortunately, his hopes weren't in vain: she stepped forward and gently gripped her friend's arm.

"Come now, Kasumi… let's get **you** a cup of tea first, before you think about the others…"

Taking great care not to make a move too soon, Mikoto eventually managed to lure Kasumi away from Itachi. But even as the woman's arms let go of him, he got one more good look at her face before she turned away: deep mourning was etched into all her features, especially her eyes. For the brief moment that their eye contact lasted, she looked so desperate that Itachi wondered if her grief was making her see things. Perhaps it was even strong enough to trick her into seeing at least part of her dead son in him…

Finally, she turned away for good and slowly made her way to the kitchen whilst being supported by Mikoto, who was whispering words of comfort. Itachi hadn't realized how much he had tensed up in just two or three seconds. That anxious, longing stare was gone, but he felt numb inside, like a bitter aftertaste of the shock he had gotten when she had proceeded to cry her eyes out on his shoulder. This was only half of it, though – he had yet to face whom he dreaded the most right now. Taking a deep breath, Itachi headed for the backyard.

It was a fairly nice day, and birds were singing in the trees, but the atmosphere out back made one feel like stepping into a small world that was unaffected by nature's high spirits. It was impossible to remain impassive.

Natsuko was sitting at the little pond her family had. Her back was hunched as she sat there with her legs drawn close to her body, and her forehead was touching her knees as if she wanted to make herself as small as possible. Sasuke sat cross-legged next to her and was talking quietly. Itachi couldn't tell if she gave an answer or not, but both options were a possible explanation as to why Sasuke hung his head helplessly. The scene reminded Itachi of when Shisui had tried to comfort him for the first few times, and that strong resemblance was exactly what nearly tore his heart apart all over again. He hadn't even spoken with her yet…

Noiselessly, he crossed the lawn and knelt down right behind the two younger Uchihas. As soon as he did that, Sasuke turned his head to look at him. Natsuko didn't budge.

"Aniki…" Sasuke whispered ruefully.

"I know, Sasuke; but this isn't your fault. It's a difficult situation for all of us," Itachi replied, putting a hand on his sibling's shoulder.

"Maybe **you** should try saying something," Sasuke suggested, wildly determined to cheer his cousin up.

"It's worth a try…" Itachi silenced when he suddenly felt as if he were being watched. Tearing his gaze away from the one he adored with all his heart, he spotted Natsuko watching them. She had turned her head enough that one eye was visible. She looked so tired and sad… just like he had imagined that she would, but it hit him hard all the same. He wished there was a way he could make her smile again, but even now that he had witnessed her grief for little more than a minute or two, he doubted that that would happen again in this lifetime.

"Itachi…" she murmured in a tear-choked voice.

"Hello, Natsuko," he greeted her.

"Maybe **you** can help me," she said, slowly sitting up straight again. There were no tears visible in her eyes just now, but for some reason, that made it almost harder for Itachi to bear than if she were crying. He hated the hollowness in her eyes – and considering that the clan's demise was approaching faster than ever, not much would change about that look. The thought was absolutely terrible, but Itachi struggled to retain his composure by reminding himself that she would regain her cheery attitude again: when she would be reunited with her brother in heaven, she would have no more reason to be sad. His theory that he **might** be putting her out of her misery by killing her probably wasn't such a wild guess after all.

"How could I help you?" he inquired.

"Help me understand, because I don't get it. Why did nii-san leave me? He promised to always be here for me, and now he's gone! He promised!" She bit down hard on her lower lip and averted her gaze as she felt that another crying fit was on its way. Her eyes darted around nervously as she tried to restrain it, for she remembered her mother telling her that it was very hard to understand someone whose speech was interspersed with sobs.

Itachi decided to skip the first part for now and shook his head. "But you're **not** alone, Natsuko. You've still got many people who love you and are here for you – your parents, for instance…"

"And us!" Sasuke added.

She flashed him a very bleak smile and sniffed heartily. "You don't understand… He **promised**, Sasuke! I want to see him again! I wish he could tell me why this happened… maybe then I could follow him to wherever he is now!" she whined.

Sasuke appeared to be startled by what she said. "But itoko, you cannot follow him… because he went to heaven, right, aniki?" he asked, turning to glance at Itachi.

"Right, Sasuke. Your parents need you now," he told the girl. "Shisui would want the same thing. Your mother would be devastated if you tried to follow him." Not that it made too much of a difference, technically, but after seeing Kasumi, Itachi truly believed that losing both of her children would literally destroy her.

He didn't know if Natsuko saw any sense in his words or if her sorrow disabled her from doing so. It wasn't something he should rule out; after all, he had often seen people cry over lost loved ones, and he had also seen a few who – as he later learned – never got over their grief. In this particular case, he was amazed that she hadn't been in tears when they arrived and that she hadn't cried yet, and a weird sense of relief overcame him when she started sobbing. She wasn't trying to be brave and hold the tears back, but it would have been too cruel anyhow to expect that. Instead, she covered her face with her hands, bowed her head and wept freely.

For a short while, the two brothers just looked at her, unsure about what they could (or should) do. Itachi stole a glance at Sasuke, and judging by the way Sasuke looked at their cousin, Itachi could tell that he was about to cry as well; Natsuko's grief saddened him immensely, and he himself was still mourning Shisui's death, but he fought to remain as calm as possible, and Itachi found that very respectable.

He tried very hard to cast his guilt aside, for it was inappropriate of him to let that get in his way of comforting Natsuko, like he was expected to. Pursing his lips because of the effort, Itachi reached out and put a hand on one of her shaking shoulders. In her very emotional state, she could have reacted in quite a few different ways: she could have lashed out at him, not wanting anyone to touch her for a while, or she could have shied away, evading his attempt to comfort her. But instead, with a strangled sob, she threw herself into his arms, clung to his shirt and emitted a cry that sounded suspiciously like "Nii-san…!" before burying her tear-stained face in the fabric.

Hesitantly, as if fearing he might break her with a mere touch, Itachi put his arms around her. He felt terrible for being the cause of her sadness, but he continued to tell himself that being here for her was what Shisui would have wanted. He probably was watching them right now…

But Natsuko wasn't the only one who turned to him for comfort he barely managed to offer. When Itachi briefly looked up from the weeping girl in his arms, he caught Sasuke's eye. His little brother was looking thoroughly miserable too, and although Itachi's gaze could best be described as thoughtful, Sasuke interpreted it differently and scooted over to lean against Itachi as well, watching Natsuko while undoubtedly trying to think of something else that could be said or done to cheer her up a bit. He smiled faintly when Itachi put an arm around him as well and gave him a soothing pat.

After a while, Natsuko's crying finally subsided, and she curled up in Itachi's lap, clinging to him like she had sometimes clung to her brother. She had known Itachi – and Sasuke, of course – all her life, and although she addressed them as "cousins", they were more like brothers for her. The ghost of a smile flitted across her face when that thought crossed her mind, and with a sniffle, she opened her eyes to find Sasuke being in Itachi's other arm, staring at her worriedly.

"…You know what?" she asked quietly, her voice barely more than a croak.

Sasuke perked up when he saw that fleeting smile. "What?" he asked back.

"I had a dream last night… I dreamt I had a nightmare and that I was afraid to be alone in my room. So I got out of bed and went to nii-san, and he told me that there's nothing to be afraid of. He also said that I could stay with him if I wanted to, though."

Sasuke nodded, understanding that completely – he often dreamed about his brother, and Itachi was always there to comfort him and give him what he needed.

"The dream looked and felt so real… maybe that's why I woke up," she continued. "So I went to his room, still thinking about the dream… I thought I'd find him there." Her voice softened until it was only a whisper again, and she tightened her grip on Itachi's shirt. "But he wasn't there. Haha had made his bed, but he hadn't slept in it. I was so confused at first and called out for him. I thought maybe he had gone to get a glass of water." Tears welled up in her eyes, and she fought to keep her voice steady enough for people to understand her. "Then I remembered haha and chichi telling me that he was gone and wouldn't be coming back. I tried to imagine and understand it, but I couldn't. I can't believe that he's gone, that he won't ever come home again." As she spoke, her eyes overflowed, and her voice became louder and louder until it was almost a wail. "I miss him so much! It's all so unreal… you know, that I'll… I'll… n-never see him again!"

"Itoko…" Sasuke murmured unhappily. He could hardly stand to see her despair like this.

"You **will** see him again, Natsuko. Believe me," Itachi said softly, gently squeezing her. "You'll see him again in heaven."

"But I can't wait that long! Why did he leave me at all?! I thought you don't leave the people you love!" she nearly yelled. Sasuke cringed at that.

"Shisui did love you, and he still does. And he didn't really leave you – not completely. He still is with you, and always will be as long as you think of him," Itachi spoke, keeping the promise he had made his friend.

"How would you know that?" She sounded as if she didn't believe him.

"I… I dreamed about him too. He wanted me to tell you these things," Itachi explained, praying that his voice wasn't belying his words.

"Did he also tell you why he had to leave and go to a place where I cannot follow him?! He promised me so many things… and now… and now…!" She faltered, unable to say anything more.

Itachi sighed. He and Sasuke were doing their best, but if he was honest with himself, he hadn't really expected that they would be able to truly comfort her. All they could do was continue to try. At least he had been able to tell her everything that Shisui had wanted to let her know…

Two hours and a cup of tea later, Mikoto and her sons went home again. Although their visit didn't seem to have been successful, Kasumi assured them that she and Natsuko had appreciated it.

"…Nii-san, you won't ever leave me like that, will you?" Sasuke asked hesitantly as they took off their shoes.

"What makes you ask that?" Itachi shot back.

"Shisui promised not to leave Natsuko, but now he left her anyway… and you promised you wouldn't leave me either. Now I'm worried – I don't know what I'd do if you left me," Sasuke explained as he followed his brother to the living room. There, Itachi stopped and stood still for several seconds before slowly turning around.

"I won't leave you, Sasuke. I promise… I really do."

The boy looked up at him anxiously. "You really, really promise?" Losing Itachi was what he currently dreaded the most, and after seeing Natsuko, he had a pretty good idea of what it would be like for him: he doubted he would react any differently than his cousin.

For a moment, Itachi appeared to be unsure, but then he looked dead serious as he picked Sasuke up. Their lips were just an inch or two apart.

"Cross my heart and hope to die, otouto," he whispered.

Sasuke grimaced. "Don't say things like that, aniki… please…"

"It's just a figure of speech," Itachi murmured, then kissed Sasuke tenderly.

Neither guilt nor dread could overpower the sense of completion which he always felt when they kissed, and when he realized that at this point in time, Itachi stopped worrying for good if his intentions might be his downfall someday. What happened to him didn't matter – **he** didn't matter – only Sasuke did. He was above everything else, and nothing or nobody would ever convince him otherwise, he vowed to himself as he held Sasuke tightly.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Just two weeks later, in the middle of June, Itachi met up with Madara again. The older Uchiha raised an eyebrow, the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips as he watched the prodigy draw close. Itachi had a very absent look in his eyes, his shoulders were slightly slouched and it wasn't that hard to tell that he hadn't slept much last night.

"You don't look so good, Itachi. Is something the matter?" he inquired casually, trying to restrain a full-fledged smirk.

Itachi shot him a strange look, not responding immediately. Quite the opposite of what he looked like and how he was feeling, Madara was sitting beneath a tree, his hands folded behind his head and his face bearing the expression of a well-rested person who could very well be looking forward to the next day. He always looked like this while Itachi was left to silently struggle with himself, making him become even colder and more distant.

"Madara-san, I just got called to Danzo-sama this morning, and he said that the clan must be eliminated as quickly as possible," Itachi answered.

Madara was silent for a moment, then shrugged and sat up. "Well then, I guess we gotta go to work."

Looking as if he were a man who was about to go to work at an office instead of killing his kin, he stood up and calmly dusted himself off before looking at Itachi again with a dreadful, almost cheerful expression on his face.

"Lighten up a bit, Itachi! This business is about to be taken care of, then it won't be bothering you so much anymore!"

"…How do you do that? You speak about this as if it is the most normal thing in the world, or even as if it is something one should anticipate…" Itachi trailed off, his voice sounding hollow, and his expression was void of any enthusiasm that Madara sported plentifully.

The man in question frowned. "You had better not be having second thoughts," he said, hinting at a threat.

"I know what I must do," Itachi reassured him, "But we're talking about committing mass murder and not about going on a field trip."

"Still a pacifist, I see," Madara commented dryly, then sighed. "Itachi, I've waited a long time for this; how can you expect me to whine about it? There is more truth to the phrase «revenge is sweet» than you think there is."

"But these are… well, your people, basically. Yet you act as if you have no ties to them at all," Itachi persisted. To him, Madara's behavior defied all logic, and he longed for an explanation of that – maybe then he would be able to comprehend part of it, even if it didn't mean that he would abandon his virtues.

"Hmpf! That kinda happens when you intend to make things better for people who backstab you in return," Madara replied bitterly, looking grim as he unsheathed his weapon to examine the sharpness of the blade. "…And that is all you need to know – for now, at least," he added as an afterthought, then turned around and walked back to the village. Itachi followed silently, but wasn't satisfied with that answer; Madara's thirst for revenge was still beyond his comprehension.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Several hours later, the sun was slowly setting, turning the sky into a parade of colors. Itachi was sitting on the small balcony of Madara's house, unmoving and with his eyes closed as he meditated. Any minute now, he expected the final part of the mission to start, and he wanted to use all the preparation time as good as he could. In the streets below, he could hear children's voices – maybe a small group laughing as they played tag on the way home. None of them knew that they wouldn't meet up again the next day, like they would probably promise to. Itachi tried not to listen, tried to blot out those high-pitched voices, that pure laughter. He tried to do that by repeatedly telling himself that this was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. But it was so hard to do…

Soft thumps indicated approaching footsteps, and they passed him by before stopping a second later. Itachi opened only one eye at first, then the other as well when he spotted Madara leaning against the balcony's railing, staring at the Uchiha district. He could only see one half of the ancient Uchiha's face, but that was all he needed in order to tell that his eyes were wide open and full of a sinister look as his gaze slowly swerved from one house to another, and the visible corner of his mouth twitched upwards. Maybe he was already dreaming about all the death he was about to cause. Very softly, he began to drum the fingers of his right hand on the railing, as if counting down the seconds by doing so. His attitude had lost even the last bit of creepy cheerfulness, and even from where he sat now, Itachi swore he could feel the menace pulsating in the man's aura.

"It's almost time," Madara suddenly said. He kept looking straight ahead.

"Almost?" Itachi repeated. He could hear the longing in the other's voice; what the hell was he waiting for?

"Yes, almost. I want to wait until the sun has set just a little more – the sky isn't red enough yet." Madara's shoulders shook a bit as he chuckled darkly. "Not red enough yet…" he murmured to himself. Then he turned away and walked back to Itachi. His eyes were already red with the Sharingan, whereas Itachi's were still their natural black color. He knelt down behind the teenager and put his hands on his shoulders. As usual, Itachi stiffened at the touch. He hated it now more than ever.

"Look at the heavens, Itachi. Look at them. Have you ever seen a more beautiful sunset?" Madara asked quietly.

Itachi did as he was told and looked skywards. The clouds were black against the background of the sunset sky. Close around the sun, it was a glowing orange color, then it faded to darker tones before creating on ocean of red which eventually faded to the darkness of the impending night. On any other occasion, Itachi would have agreed that it was indeed a beautiful sight, but currently, it looked like an awful omen of nature.

"Never before have those colors looked so radiant – and I have seen so many sunsets," Madara continued dreamily, apparently not caring that Itachi didn't give an answer. "See that shade of red right over there?" He pointed, looking like a man who was showing his son constellations. "That's what we'll be looking at when we bring the traitors to justice. Not that bright red like when you merely cut the palm of your hand, but dark red when one's life blood gushes out of a fatal wound. But you already know what I'm talking about, don't you? You have seen it before…"

Miraculously, Itachi didn't shiver when he heard those words. But the effort was worth it. And he did know what Madara was talking about; almost instantly, the memory of Shisui's death flashed before his mental eye, and for a second or two, he closed his eyes, telling himself to cast it aside. He couldn't afford to let that disrupt his concentration now – he had spent all afternoon shutting out anything that would have the same effect on him.

For several minutes, neither one of them said anything anymore, remaining motionless as they watched the sun set. Madara didn't bother to remove his hands from Itachi's shoulders, and this made hatred and disgust rise anew in the younger one. Just before he thought he couldn't take it anymore, Madara gave his shoulders a squeeze and whispered into his ear:

"It's time now, Itachi. I know you're ready… I can sense it. That's it; think hateful thoughts, that will help you along. Remember: they did nothing for you. They only repressed your skills, just like you said. Now you can break free!"

When the man's lips nearly brushed his ear, Itachi hastily rose, escaping that closeness which he despised so much. He stepped up to the railing. The sun would disappear beneath the horizon very soon.

"Let's go," he replied brusquely.

"That's the spirit," Madara praised him as he rose too. "Oh, and one last thing: **no** survivors, remember?"

"…Hn."

"We'll meet again at your house when we've finished our respective halves of the district." Madara already unsheathed his katana, and that evil, almost crazy grin returned to his face. "Happy hunting!" he added, then leapt off the balcony and onto the nearest roof. He didn't stop there, heading for the outskirts of his half. With his long black cloak billowing behind him as he went, he looked like a demon out of hell. Itachi was almost surprised that he wasn't cackling manically.

Sighing ever so softly, he turned towards his half. He mustn't wait much longer, for he wanted to have taken care of everything by the time he met up with Madara again – especially his family. With that thought in mind, Itachi finally left the balcony as well. Unlike Madara, he headed for the nearest house and opened the door, not stopping for the fraction of a second. Few bothered to lock their doors because they trusted that if someone wanted to speak to them, they would knock and patiently wait until they were invited inside. Concentrating hard on this step of the mission, Itachi was nearly guilt-free as he entered the house without permission. He intruded on a family of four, having dinner at the table. When he entered the room, he stopped for a single second to grab his katana. The parents swiftly rose, and the woman screamed when she saw the look on his face as she attempted to gather up her children and take them away to safety. But Itachi let none of that happen. Without saying a single word, he advanced on them and killed the father first. He stared at Itachi with eyes wide open in utter shock and astonishment before he slumped to the floor. The children called out for their father, but they could only utter his name once before Itachi's katana tore through their bodies, ending their lives in a flash. The woman screamed again and tried to flee, but she hadn't gone any further than three steps before the blade was thrust into her from behind, and a gurgle was all that escaped her lips before she too collapsed, dead.

Itachi paused for one of the last times that night as he regarded the tragic scene. One house down, and many more to go. As he looked at the bodies, he wondered about the last thought that had crossed his mind before he had killed them. And he realized that it was something along the lines of cursing Madara; he had a feeling that the bastard might even be enjoying this. Duty or not, this was nothing to laugh about or enjoy. It was one of many things that he hated about that man. He hated him, but he also hated the leaders of the clan – fools who believed in a twisted ideology, and that was all that mattered to them. Just then, the neighbors' voices sounded out; they were coming to investigate. Itachi readied himself for the next kill. And as he did so, he focused on thinking about the person he hated the most right now – if it had helped him before, perhaps it would do the same this time as well…

A man appeared in the doorway first, and he only managed to open his mouth before a certain Uchiha prodigy was upon him.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Barely ten minutes after they had gone to bed, Kasumi and Saborou jumped when the door to their bedroom opened with a clatter, revealing a katana-wielding shadow.

"Holy shit!" Saborou exclaimed while his wife clutched the covers, backing up against the wall behind them a bit. "Hey, what's the big deal?! Who do you think you are?!"

"Don't you recognize me, Saborou-san?" the shadow asked, sounding mildly surprised. But it wasn't genuine surprise. "Perhaps some light would be helpful, don't you agree?"

The two adults exchanged somewhat unsure glances, then Kasumi reached out to turn on the light on her side of the bed. Her hand was trembling – although the face of the intruder had yet to be revealed, she felt that nothing good could result from this unexpected confrontation.

Her fingers flipped the switch, and now their faces were illuminated by more than just moonlight. Of course, it wasn't enough to light up the entire room, but it was sufficient for them to make out who was standing in their doorway.

"…Itachi!" Saborou remarked.

Kasumi said nothing, but gasped instead. She had never seen such an ominous expression on his face before, and she didn't like it at all.

"What happened to you?" her husband continued, noticing some blood on the prodigy's uniform.

"Nothing," Itachi lied, "But it isn't me you should be worrying about." He tightened his grip on the katana's handle. Saborou didn't fail to notice that.

"Kasumi, go get Natsuko," he muttered, trying to move his lips as little as possible while not taking his eyes off Itachi anymore.

Her gaze flickered to him, eyes wide with worry. "But –" she began.

"Go!" he urged her.

Nodding, Kasumi pushed the covers away and swung her legs over the bedside, but Itachi firmly closed the door, making her stop. He didn't exactly slam it, but he closed it with enough force in a silent way of saying «This is the end of the road for you, and there's no escape». He was all too aware of that, so he deemed any additional words unnecessary.

"Stop being foolish, Itachi. If Fugaku knew about this…" Saborou trailed off, shaking his head as if in disappointment.

Itachi's gaze darkened, and he tensed up like a predator that was about to attack its prey. "You have no right to give me orders!" he all but snarled. "As for being foolish, as you called it… I'm just accomplishing my mission."

Since he knew about his son's undercover mission and also had been informed about betrayal suspicions by Fugaku himself, Saborou instantly understood what Itachi meant by that statement. He swore under his breath.

"Fugaku was right! You are a double-crosser!" Two and two were quickly put together, and he pointed an accusing finger at the intruder. "You knew, didn't you?! You knew about Shisui's role… You killed him! You killed my son!"

"Saborou, what on earth…?!" But that was all Kasumi could say before Itachi smiled bitterly.

"You really don't work alongside my father for nothing, Saborou-san. Your conclusion is absolutely correct."

Shock and disbelief made Kasumi's eyes widen further still, and tears welled up in them. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound escaped her lips. Saborou's reaction, on the other hand, was brief, but vehement.

"You really **are** a bloody weasel!" he snarled, practically jumping off the bed as his eyes turned red with the clan's kekkei genkai.

But that was a mistake: greatly angered, Itachi called upon the Mangekyou Sharingan and fixated his opponent with a piercing stare. Kasumi watched in horror as the man stopped in his tracks and appeared to be paralyzed for several seconds. Then she screamed shrilly when Itachi stepped up to Saborou and stabbed him with the katana. For a moment, all seemed to stand still before the blade was pulled out of the body, and Saborou fell to the floor, unmoving.

Even as Itachi was stepping away from his uncle, Kasumi flung herself off the bed and knelt down beside her fallen partner, trembling fingers touching him only gingerly at first before digging themselves into his shirt in despair.

"Saborou! Saborou! No, no, not you too…!" she rambled, shaking him. But of course, he didn't react. Suddenly, as if she had just remembered something, she paused and looked up at Itachi. "Tell me it's not true… that… that you killed Shisui…" she whispered hoarsely.

Itachi's eyes became black again. "…It's true, Kasumi-san. I had to, but I wish it needn't have been so."

She briefly averted her gaze, still looking like she couldn't believe it. He watched her eyes dart back and forth as she tried to process this new information, then she snapped out of it and begged: "I don't understand… but whatever you do, please spare Natsuko!"

For a moment, there was a very tense silence.

"I really am very sorry, obasan," Itachi said in a heavy voice, deliberately not specifying what he was sorry about.

Kasumi opened her mouth to scream and plead for her daughter's life, but stiffened an instant later, and her eyes bulged as a blood-stained weapon penetrated her. All of Itachi's training had definitely paid off: his aim was very precise – **deadly** precise. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, then she fell forward, hitting the floor with a dull thump.

Itachi barely lingered, for unless he wasn't very deceived, he had little more time to spare before he was supposed to meet up with Madara again, and he aimed to have taken care of his half until then. But he might even have to hurry a bit now if he wanted to make it. He had only just begun to close the door when a somewhat drowsy-sounding voice sounded out:

"…Nii-san, is that you?"

Slowly, he turned around, leaving the door partially closed, and found Natsuko standing in the corridor, rubbing her eyes. But her drowsiness left her very quickly as she gasped and retreated a step when she saw the blood – and that she wasn't facing her brother.

"Itachi…!"

"Natsuko," the older Uchiha replied in acknowledgment, then began to advance on her. "I have brought much grief upon you, and I'd like to let you know that I'm really sorry. But that ends now."

She gawked at him, terrified. Something was dreadfully amiss. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting so strange?

"P-P-Please don't hurt me, i-itoko…" she stammered, backing away from him. He just kept on coming.

"Just once more, and it won't be for long," Itachi assured her.

'_Once more? What does he mean by that?!'_ she wondered wildly. A moment later, she noticed that she couldn't retreat any further. Her hands reached out behind her and felt a wall. She was too petrified to try and escape.

"You're scaring me…" she whimpered.

"You won't need to be scared anymore."

Trembling with fear, Natsuko clasped her hands and shut her eyes tightly. Her lips were quivering as she undoubtedly was trying not to cry. Then they moved ever so slightly, repeating one word over and over again like some sort of mantra as she was about to face her fate:

"Nii-san…"

Itachi couldn't take it anymore. He knew from Sasuke that the girl had been coming to terms with the fact that Shisui would never come back, but to see her hope so dearly for her brother's help was like experiencing their first visit to her after his death all over again. Her thoughts had already followed him; she could probably really imagine herself being with him right now as he prepared to kick the ass of whoever was threatening his sister. Itachi knew this because he shared that distinctive trait with Shisui: to be very protective of their siblings.

"Natsuko, I hope you will do me one more favor," he said as he raised his weapon. The girl whined and peeked at him with one eye. In a whisper, he continued: "Say hello to your brother for me, and tell him I'm sorry."

She opened her eyes again, but she could only choke before the katana was thrust into her, right into her heart. It got broken for the second time, though this time, it was literal and fatal. She could hardly take notice of any pain before she slipped into darkness and out of this world. When she keeled over, her body slid neatly off the blade, and her eyes were still widened with the surprise she had last felt.

Breathing deeply to maintain his composure, Itachi sheathed the katana and knelt down beside her to tuck her hair behind an ear. He started to withdraw his hand, but paused, then reached out again to tenderly close her eyes. "I'm so sorry…" He spoke so quietly that he could barely hear himself. In glum silence, he left the house as stealthily as he had come; he had no more reason to be here. There was only one more stop left, and that would be the hardest one yet.

It was a mere matter of minutes till he reached his house, and his heart sank a bit when he saw Madara waiting in the shadows of a nearby tree. His glowing red eyes gave him away. This was not what he had hoped for – he didn't want to have that man close by when he had to pay this final visit to his home…

"Ah, there you are. I presume you're not quite finished yet…" Madara drawled and stole a glance at the only house they hadn't been to. Itachi believed to see an evil glint in his eyes as he did that.

"Yes, Madara-san. There's only my house left."

"Hmm…" The man seemed to think for a moment, then nodded, smirking. "Good, good. Still, make it snappy; you **did** try to keep the screaming at a minimum, didn't you?"

Itachi frowned. _'The better question is if __**you**__ did that…'_ "I did."

"Mmh." Madara was silent for a moment, then clapped his hands and smiled. He looked cheerful and almost encouraging – Itachi probably wouldn't mind the second aspect so much if it weren't for the first, most unfitting emotion. "Well then, I'll go for a quick spin – you know, just to make sure no one's still twitching or something – while you finish up. We'll meet here again when we're done, and then we can fly the coop, okay?"

"Hn," was all Itachi had to say, but he didn't dare to say much more, not wanting to risk Madara catching on how relieved he was that he didn't need to come up with some excuse to be left alone now. His temporary mentor made a strange noise – later, Itachi would realize that it could nearly be considered a giggle – and as Itachi raised an eyebrow, he turned around and left the scene, walking like someone who was really trying very hard not to skip. Given the situation in particular, that behavior was silently added to a certain someone's list of indicators that Madara was indeed at least a little crazy.

But this was not the right time to be thinking about that. Instead, it was time to take this final step so his mission would finally be accomplished.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sasuke had stayed behind after school for quite a while to train with the shuriken, and he had lost track of time. When he finally arrived back at the district, night had fallen, and the full moon lit up most of the streets and allies. He was eager to tell his father that he had made lots of progress – and maybe he could ask Itachi again if he would train with him. Last time, Itachi had denied him that favor, but Sasuke would continue to ask; surely **sometime** his brother would say yes instead of «maybe next time»…

However, when he entered the clan's district, those thoughts got swept out of his mind when a dreadful sight met his eyes.

Bodies. Bodies lying everywhere. People he knew (some only fleetingly, but no matter) were lying face-down in the street with blood staining the ground around them. Nobody moved, even if it were only the twitch of a muscle. Sasuke's eyes widened in horror and bewilderment as he looked around, hoping for some sign… a sign that someone was still moving, that someone could tell him what was going on. To his dismay, he saw none as he trotted towards his home, his steps quickly becoming faster and faster as of all the thoughts that ran through his mind just then, one particular thought stood out: his worry if his parents and his brother (if he was home, that was) were alright.

Like the rest of the district, no lights were on at his house either, and that worried Sasuke even more. It was unusual at this hour – he may have lost track of time, but he couldn't possibly be **that** late, could he?

"Okasan? Otosan?" he called when he opened the door. Nothing but dead silence greeted him. His heart was in his mouth as he wandered through the house, checking the rooms for any signs of his family with only the sound of his own footsteps for company. Suddenly, he heard two dull thumps, and hope and worry alike arose in him. He hurried to where the noise had come from: the room in which Fugaku discussed most important matters. He had no idea what to expect beyond the doors, and that made his hair stand on end. Shaking all over, he could only stare at the doors for a moment, struggling to move and get it over with. His body seemed unwilling to obey, and Sasuke drew a shuddering breath as he slowly managed to extend a trembling hand.

'_Come on, Sasuke… move! Move already!'_ he tried to encourage himself.

Finally, his fingers closed around the door handle, and his other hand followed suit. Swallowing nervously, Sasuke stepped forward and opened the door.

"Otosan? Okasan?" he asked timidly. Then something on the floor caught his eye, and when he took a closer look, he gasped and nearly stumbled out of the room again.

Like the people in the street, Mikoto and Fugaku were lying there, motionless and with all life swept from their features. Blood had trickled out of their mouths and had gotten splattered on the floor after they had received their deathblow. A cold shiver ran down his spine, then he tore his gaze away from his dead parents to face their murderer, a figure that was still obscured by the shadows.

When it noticed that it had the boy's attention, the figure stepped forward, and the moonlight cast its soft beams on Itachi's face again. Sasuke's eyes widened even more, and his breath hitched.

"Sasuke… there you are," Itachi spoke quietly.

"N-N-Nii-san…" Sasuke stuttered at first, but his voice quickly became louder and steadier as he pleaded for answers from the only survivor he had encountered. "What is going on?! Why did you do this to haha and chichi?!"

"I **had** to do this, Sasuke. It was my mission," Itachi answered solemnly.

"To kill everybody?!" the younger one exclaimed. He couldn't believe this… it just couldn't be true! Why would Itachi, of all people, kill everybody? This was the clan they had been born into… their friends and relatives… But wait, he hadn't killed **everybody** yet. Someone was still left… and that someone was him. Realizing that, Sasuke inched back towards the door, staring at his brother with fear etched into every feature of his face.

"I've been waiting for you, otouto," Itachi said and stepped over the bodies of the adults, following Sasuke.

"D-Don't kill me… please…!" Sasuke begged.

"You don't understand… hold still and –" Itachi began. He was nearly close enough to reach out and touch him.

"No! Leave me alone!" Sasuke suddenly yelled, then whirled around and dashed away. Tears of sorrow and fear stung in his eyes as he ran away as fast as he could. He simply **had** to put as much distance between himself and Itachi as possible…!

"Sasuke, wait!"

Panicking, Sasuke ran faster still, not even daring to look back. His heart was beating so fast that it hurt as he bolted out of his home and into the streets again. He had no idea where he should go to – all he knew was that he had to get out of here before Itachi could slay him as well.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a shadow suddenly jumped onto the street in front of him. With a startled yelp, Sasuke skidded to a halt, but not before he was within the shadow's reach: two hands gripped his arms, and to his horror, he found himself staring right at Itachi. In his panicked state, all he saw was menace, but in fact, Itachi was looking expectant and worried.

"Sasuke, stop! Don't run away like that! I know that this is a most terrible experience for you, but –"

His sibling didn't want to hear anything more. With a desperate cry, he wrenched himself out of Itachi's grasp and staggered away from him again.

"Leave me alone, you murderer!" he screamed.

"Sasuke, no…" Itachi tried to shush him, but Sasuke held his head as if hearing his brother's voice pained him, continuing to evade him.

"Murderer! Murderer!" he cried. Tears of anger and anguish poured freely from his eyes.

Itachi looked around in nearly fearful anticipation. He had to do something, and fast. He had to get past this wall that Sasuke had hastily erected before it was too late.

"Sasuke, listen to me!" he pleaded, though keeping his voice as low as possible. "Don't scream like this, or else he'll hear you!"

"Don't touch me! You're just a fake! An imposter!" Sasuke shouted accusingly. He was still afraid and upset, but also angry: how dare someone commit such a horrible crime in his brother's name! This could only be an awful mistake, like back when he had nearly completely believed that Itachi had kissed Misaki. A small part of him had always had doubts about that, and now that part spoke to him again, suggesting that this might be the same imposter.

'_An imposter?!'_ Itachi thought in the meantime. He could only try to imagine the turmoil Sasuke was in now, and it pained him very much to see his dear little brother look at him like that, so full of contempt and fear. He knew that he couldn't really count on any love and trust from Sasuke now that he had slain their family, but actually being in this situation was far worse than he had imagined it to be. It felt like an invisible being was slowly tearing his heart apart, just to make it all the more painful for him.

"You're mistaken, otouto; it's really me, Itachi," he tried to convince him.

"Liar! Nii-san would never do something like this!" Sasuke insisted.

"Sasuke, look at me! I am not a fake! This is real, and believe me that I am sorry, but do not doubt my identity!" For the first time in quite a while, Itachi raised his own voice as he tried to talk some sense into Sasuke. He hated doing this, but with time running out so fast, he was left with no other choice. He could almost hear the rustling of Madara's cloak as the man approached to investigate what all the ruckus was about, and that intrusion was what he had to avoid at all costs.

Sasuke almost couldn't bear to look Itachi in the eye, and he only managed it so shortly that he wasn't sure if he should believe him or not. Part of him refused to believe it, wanting to place the blame on anybody else except the one he loved so much, but another part of him briefly saw the genuine concern in those still black eyes; concern that no one could fake. Given the dreadfulness of the whole situation, however, the first part triumphed, and he swiftly grabbed a kunai that happened to be lying next to him and pointed it at Itachi. He didn't know if he was ready for this – he probably wasn't, though, according to his voice of reason – but he felt like he had to do this. He had to do this in the name of his parents… and to try and stay alive.

"Sasuke, time is running out, and I need to get this over with right now… so you leave me with no other choice," Itachi said in a rueful tone of voice. While Sasuke prepared to defend himself, expecting an attack, Itachi closed his eyes for a second – and when he opened them again, he stared at Sasuke with the Mangekyou Sharingan, thus whisking his brother away to a world in which he ruled over time, space and all other things.

A mere moment later in the real world, Sasuke swayed as if he had just been through a very tough training session. Everything was unfocused, and Itachi looked like little more than a blur as he approached him. He could hardly stand anymore, let alone keep his eyes open. Blackness began to engulf him when Itachi stood in front of him, and one last thought passed through Sasuke's mind:

'_This is it… I'm gonna die…'_

Unable to do anything about the hand that reached out for him as the final bit of his strength left his body, Sasuke surrendered to the darkness, and he collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Eheh... so... how was it? I sincerely hope it was worth your time. If you could leave me a review, I'd be most delighted... _(crosses fingers)_

So, that concludes MTCLF. And I know that I've left some bits out, but remember, there will be a sequel! :) However, I have no idea if I'm ever gonna be able to finish that one because in September, I'll be going back to school, and I can't afford to screw that up, so I will most certainly be forced to rearrange my list of priorities. I'll make "important" announcements early enough, though, just so you'll know that I will not have died (and if I would - for whichever reason - I hope my family will respect my will and leave a note for you guys! XD).

I'd like to thank each and every one of you who reviewed, faved and/or alerted this story! I never thought it would get appreciated so much... so thanks a lot to everyone! X3 Special thanks go to **CeruleanCypher**, **SkywardShadow **and **Crimson Cupcake** for being so faithful all the way! _(glomps favorite peeps)_

Oh, and one more thing: here's a list of the most important songs that inspired me while I wrote this fic! If anyone has any questions about a song or if you'd like to listen to them but can't find them, just PM me, and I'll see what I can do! :D

"I'm Alive" - Disturbed

"Baby Love" - Mother's Finest

"Muddy Water Blues" - Paul Rodgers

"As The Years Go Passing By" - George Thorogood

"Everything I Do, I Do It For You" - Bryan Adams

"Time Flies" - Vaya Con Dios

"Reise, Reise" - Rammstein

"Wonderful Dream" - Melanie Thornton

"Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" - International Children/Holly Players Orchestra

"The Christmas Waltz" - Yuletide Carolers/Holly Players Orchestra

"The Twelve Days Of Christmas" - Bing Crosby

"Fragile" - Sting

"Don't Believe In Love" - Dido

"Eva" - Nightwish

"Meadows Of Heaven" - Nightwish

"Keine war so wie du" - Udo Jürgens

"Garden Of Treasures" - Mike Rowland

"Ohne Dich" - Rammstein

"What Have You Done Now" - Within Temptation

"La Petite Fille De La Mer" - Vangelis

"Grief & Sorrow" - Toshiro Masuda

"The Dragon's Breath" - David Arkenstone

"Lucifer" - The Alan Parsons Project

"The Kinslayer" - Nightwish

"The Road To Hell" - Chris Rea

"What I've Done" - Linkin Park

"Indestructible" - Disturbed

"Tier" - Rammstein

Until the sequel comes out, farewell everybody! And again: **THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!**

_~devotedtodreams_

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P.S: For everyone who's interested... the sequel is out now. It's called "Perception Is Everything"._  
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